The MCE making his remarks
THE MUNICIPAL Chief Executive (MCE) for Okaikwei North (ONMA),
Boye Laryea, has disclosed plans for what he called “Sanitation Taskforce” in
basic schools within the municipality.
This forms part of efforts to curb the poor sanitation
situation in the municipality.
The taskforce would be made of selected pupils who will act as
police personnel to identify and report to the appropriate authorities; persons
who go about littering the schools and their surroundings.
At a ceremony to mark the first anniversary celebration since the assembly was created, the MCE revealed that pupils would be made ambassadors of sanitation in their schools and respective environments.
“We will make sure that pupils will learn how to create an
environment where people will not continue with this attitude [of filthiness].
“In every school, we are going to create what we call a
taskforce with the pupils in charge”, he stated.
The MCE also charged management of schools in the
municipality to take five minutes of their lesson hours to teach on hygiene and
proper sanitation management.
Recounting when inspection was conducted in basic schools, where
teachers checked the uniforms, finger nails and other parts of pupils for filth
and punished those found wanting. Boye Laryea asked teachers to reintroduce
such activities as it would instill discipline in the pupils.
He said it is sad a development, that Ghana is now struggling
to cope with the menace of poor sanitation, while other countries are
generating income from their filth.
“Today as we sit here, we don’t know the direction as to how
we can arrest this situation [of filth]. We are still not able to come to terms
with the fact that it is killing us”, he bemoaned.
Pledging in his capacity as MCE of the Assembly to lead the
fight against filth, Boye Laryea said: “I am declaring Okaikwei North as one of
the assemblies that would lead the fight [against sanitation]. And together
with my administration, we are going to vigorously take charge of the
sanitation issue in Ghana.”
He also called for attitudinal change and condemned the
incidence where people take refuse from their homes and dump them in drains and
on streets while others also ease themselves and throw into other people’s
homes.
Prior to the ceremony, the MCE together with some pupils from
selected basic schools embarked on a float displaying placards on sanitation.
They were welcomed to the St. Charles Lwanga Catholic School
by the Cadet Corps with a beautiful display of military drills.
There were cultural dance performances as well as drama
presentation by other groups of students.
The MCE also donated litter collecting devices to the schools to aide in the sanitation project.
By Nii Adjei Mensahfio
