Water crisis cripples learning at Nalerigu SHS as students abandon night studies to search for water

Students of Nalerigu Senior High School in the North East Region say a month-long water crisis has brought night studies to a standstill, forcing many of them to spend their evenings searching for water instead of preparing for their examinations. The students say the school’s water supply system has been out of service for nearly a month, leaving them with no option but to trek into the Nalerigu township and nearby streams in search of water for drinking, bathing and other daily needs. According to the students, the situation has severely disrupted academic work, as the hours normally reserved for evening prep are now spent looking for water. “We hardly have time to study at night because we spend most of our evenings looking for water. By the time we return to campus, we are too tired to read,” a Form Two student said. Some female students say the crisis has also exposed them to harassment while searching for water outside the school. “For instance, they keep giving me their telephone numbers and asking me to call them. I don’t want to take the numbers, but I’m forced to because I need water to bathe,” another student, who requested anonymity, said. Beyond its impact on learning, the water shortage has worsened sanitation and hygiene conditions on campus. Students say toilets and bathrooms have become difficult to use because of the lack of water, resulting in increasing cases of open defecation. They also claim the school compound is gradually being littered with refuse, while the indiscriminate disposal of used sanitary pads and other waste has become a growing health concern. The students are appealing to the school authorities, the Ghana Education Service and the government to urgently restore water supply to the school, warning that the prolonged crisis is affecting both their welfare and academic performance at a time they are expected to devote more time to their studies. Efforts by MyJoyOnline to obtain a response from the Headmaster, Mr Mohammed, and the PTA Chairman, Stephen Iddi, were unsuccessful, as repeated calls and text messages went unanswered.