‘We don’t disconnect schools’ — GWCL clarifies

Stanley Martey has dismissed allegations that the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has disconnected schools in Tema.

There were claims that several Senior High Schools (SHSs) in the Eastern Region and Accra including Ada SHS and Chemu SHS, have been disconnected by the company.

In an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM monitored by ModernGhana News, the Communications Manager of the GWCL Mr. Martey clarified.

He stated that GWCL had not disconnected any school.

Instead, the company had taken steps to demand payment for outstanding bills from educational institutions.

“What you are hearing in recent times is that we go in to demand our money, and so far, we have not disconnected any of the schools.

“We have requested and demanded for our money, but we have not disconnected any schools,” he stated.

Mr. Martey further elaborated that the company's standard operating procedures explicitly forbid the disconnection of schools.

He said, “Per our standard operating procedures, we do not disconnect schools.

“Schools are classified as essential service providers, so we do not disconnect them."

“We only disconnect them when they have been recalcitrant in the payment of their bills or when they have deliberately refused to settle their bills,” he explained.

He also shed light on a unique scenario where the company received word from the secretariat responsible for handling the Free SHS (Free Senior High School) program.

In some cases, the secretariat requested GWCL to take action and disconnect specific schools, possibly due to the release of funds to them.

“Sometimes, we receive a communication from the secretariat that handles the Free SHS program, stating that we should go and disconnect some of the schools.

"This is perhaps because they have released some of the funds to them, so we go there to demand the money,” he stated.

“In such situations, GWCL went to the schools to demand payment rather than initiate an immediate disconnection,” he clarified.