By: Sulayman Waan
Information reaching The Voice revealed that Baja Kunda joint Lower Basic, Upper Basic and Senior Secondary School in the Wuli East District, Upper River Region lacked water supply for the past six months.
“The Baja Kunda Health Center used to supply water to the school but the water pipes that link the two facilities were disconnected during the construction of Laminkoto- Passamas road,” The source told this medium recently.
The source added that the school’s management had made efforts to negotiate with the health personnel at the health center as well as the Arezki Company management to ensure the school regains its water supply but yet they couldn’t converged both parties.
“This is a nightmare for the school because while lessons are ongoing the students usually cross the road to the health centre so as to get drinkable water,” he lamented.
“Before the students used to pray “Zuhur” at the school but since we encountered this challenge they are not praying in the school anymore, because they don’t have water to perform abolition,” the insiders anxiously disclosed to this report.
However, he described this issue as a staid, saying is not safe for the students to cross the road in search of water as cars and motorbikes are always travelling on the road. “If this continues accident could occur there,” he added.
“In fact, at some point in time some teachers have to sacrifice to fetch water for the students particularly the kindergartens because the teachers don’t want them (children) to cross the road during learning session.”
Another source who also prefers anonymity said the educational institution has a garden for cultivation of vegetable for the school usage but, noting at the moment the garden is not operating owing to absent of water in the school.
“Even the school’s cooks are always complaining over the inaccessibility of water in the facility. Every day, they (cooks) have to fetch water the village. This is challenging for them,” he expressed bitterly.
The educational principle states if a particular school lacks water for three hours, its management should allow the students to go home but he school is not applying this principle because the management doesn’t want anything that can affect the school’s academic, he said.
Meanwhile, they all called on government to provide sufficient water supply for the school to save the children from risk of crossing the road for in search of water.
Bakary Ceesay, director of region 6 said the school doesn’t lack water at all because it has a well; however, he added that the well’s water is not fit drink.
“The school relies on Baja Kunda Health Center for water supply but when the Laminkoto- Passamas road construction reaches Baja Kunda the water pines that link the two facilities were tampered but it was restored,” he said.
He added that he is not communicated on the current development of the school, adding he would communicate to the officer in search so as to see what had been done about that issue.”