The Antwi Mensah and Family Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has the cut-sod for commencement of work to provide a place of convenience for the Ejisu Roman Catholic School.
The NGO seeks to discourage truancy among the pupils who sneak out frequently with the excuse of going to the washroom.
The project comprises two modern washroom facilities to serve the Kindergarten, Primary and Junior High School pupils of the Ejisu Roman Catholic School.
The two facilities contain a total of 16 water closets (WC), five compartments in the Kindergarten (KG) building, and 11 stalls in the Primary and Junior High School (JHS) building.
The stalls are sub-divided into three for female and male students and staff.
The KG building has a common shower for the male and female pupils, and the female section of the Primary and JHS building has a changing room for the older female students.
Situated in the heart of Ejisu, this would be the first time the school, with a population of 1,200, could boast of access to a WC toilet facility since its establishment more than 80 years ago.
Dr. Kofi Antwi Mensah, Co-Chairperson of the Foundation and an old student of the school, said they realised that the school was in dire need of a reliable and clean toilet facility, as lack of it was affecting teaching and learning.
He said though the school had played a major role in shaping the lives of a lot of people, it faced infrastructural challenges, as many of its buildings were in deplorable states from lack of major renovations for a very long time.
He disclosed that the facility was going to improve the hygienic condition of the school, and the environment as a whole.
He indicated that the washroom facilities were the first of projects lined up by the Foundation to build for the school after finding out the challenges from the management authority, staff and pupils.
Dr. Antwi Mensah disclosed that the Foundation planned to give a face-lift to other structures of the school and possibly put up a computer laboratory, and improve the existing science laboratories.
Mr. Samuel Oduro Frimpong, Municipal Chief Executive for Ejisu, expressed his profound gratitude to the Foundation for coming to the aid of the school to complement the effort of the Assembly and the government in providing a place of convenience for teaching and learning in the Municipality.
The Ejisu Municipal Director of Education, Kwabena Owusu, also lauded the Antwi Mensah and Family Foundation for the initiative.
He noted that the gesture could not have come at a better time, because the sanitation challenges had affected teaching and learning.
He said the over GH¢500,000 facility would serve the over 1,200 pupils of the school, and that they would ensure that it was properly maintained when completed.
