Gerard Ataogye, the Kasena-Nankana West District Chief Executive (DCE), has called on house owners in the district without toilet facilities to make provisions for some within three months or face prosecution.

He said the District Assembly and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are pursing vigorous measures, including prosecuting defaulting households, to eliminate Open Defecation in the area by the end of 2019.

In his speech to mark Ghana’s 62nd Independence Day Ceremony when the District joined the rest of the country in celebrating Ghana’s break from colonial rule in 1957, Mr. Ataogye said the District is poised to become the first district to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) and urged a change in behaviour to end defecating in the open which is threat and harmful to public health.

He stressed the need to have toilets facilities in every household in the area, with a call on all stakeholders to join the fight against the menace which is worse in the District capital, Paga.

Mr. Ataogye said, “The District has committed to eliminate Open Defecation by the end of 2019. In pursuant of this goal, the district assembly through the environmental protection agency is pursuing vigorously the goal. We are giving houses without toilets facilities three months grace period to construct one.

Those defaulting houses after the grace period would be prosecuted at the court. It is very sad to note that the worse culprit is the Paga Township.
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On education, the DCE announced that the District Assembly through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) will soon start the construction of new classroom blocks to replace schools that have deteriorated structures.

He said it is part of several massive interventions the Assembly is putting in place to save worsening situations at the various schools which is impacting negatively on the performance of BECE and WASSCE candidates.

Mr. Ataogye commended the District Education Directorate for their enormous contributions towards teaching and learning in the area despite the mirage of challenges and urged the directorate to step up its supervisory role to get rid of teacher absenteeism. He admonished the education directorate to rationalize the postings of teachers so as to ensure a balanced distribution of teachers in the district.

“The District Assembly through the support of GETFund would soon start the construction of new classroom blocks to replace those schools in bad conditions. The infrastructure has deteriorated to the extent that there is the need for massive intervention to save the situation. Where the classroom exists, lack of furniture has slackened the progress of teaching and learning. The overall effects of these are poor performance of pupils at the BECE and WASSCE.” He stated.

For her part, the Director of Education at the Kasena-Nankana West District, Ms. Victoria Aganalie Mahama, called for the support of all stakeholders to enable the directorate provide quality pre-tertiary education to children in the area.