Members of School Health Committees in the Adaklu-Anyigbe District have added their voice to the call for the incorporation of hygiene as a co-curriculum activity in the syllabus for basic schools.

This is to promote good sanitation and hygiene among pupils and in the school environment as a whole.

They made the call at the end of a three-day training workshop organised for them by the Ghana Education Service (GES) with sponsorship from DANIDA under the Water and Sanitation Agency.

The workshop was to train the members in the operation and maintenance of school health facilities in order to ensure good health and sanitation in schools and their communities.

Participants were made up of eleven member committee from nine schools in the districts including Adaklu Sikaman LA Primary, Adaklu Hlihave LA Primary, Adaklu Helekpe LA JHS and Adaklu kpeleho LA Primary all in the Adaklu traditional area.

Others are Kpetoe Anglican Primary, Agbesia-Beh Methodist JHS also from the Agortime traditional area with Kpota Salvation Army LA Primary, Adzonkor LA JHS, and Nyadzedeke LA Primary coming from the Ziope traditional area

Topics discussed included the role of School Health Committees, ensuring the sustainability of school health facilities, gender equity, safe water collection and storage, food venders and food hygiene, prevention of HIV/AIDS and Feaco-oral Transmission Routes.

In a presentation, the Adaklu-Anyigbe District Environmental Health Officer Miss Peace Gbeblewu underscored the importance of good sanitation to quality education and urged all stakeholders to help ensure hygiene among pupils and in their communities.

She charged food venders to be hygienic in food preparation and ensure proper sanitation.

“Our food vendors must be medically certified before they operate and must keep their environment clean and ensure proper food protection and handling,” Miss Gbeblewu cautioned.

The District SHEP Coordinator, Miss Valeria Akuffo urged Environmental Health Officers to intensify their monitoring and supervision and give appropriate punishment to defaulters.

In a statement at the opening of the workshop, the Adaklu-Anyigbe District Director of Education, Mr Samuel Tumaku, underscored the importance of hygiene education in schools, saying “proper hygiene promotes quality teaching and learning”.

Mr Tumaku urged the participants to take the workshop seriously and impact what they have learnt in transforming their various communities.

He charged school health Coordinators to be committed to their duties.

The School Health Committee has nine permanent members including; the head teacher, the school based health coordinator, pupils representative (a boy and a girl) a health worker, PTA representative, School Management committee representative and food vendors representative.

Source: ISD (Yvonne Elikplim Harlley)
Posted: 17/06/08