Schools sanitation solutions challenge opens Wednesday

The World Vision International Ghana will, on Wednesday, May 29, open entry for this year’s School Sanitation Solutions Challenge.

A publication will subsequently be made in the Junior Graphic and other media platforms on the said date to spell out the requirements and instructions for the competition. The competition is aimed at encouraging children to develop an interest in environmental sanitation, and support them to become agents of change.

Also known as the Triple-S Challenge, the competition seeks to build the capacity of children to create sustainable solutions around them. It is also to empower children to influence policies and advocate improved sanitation in basic schools and communities.

The competition is being organised in collaboration with Kings Hall Media, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Greater Accra Metropolitan Area- Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SW), the Ghana Education Service and Zoomlion foundation.

Topic

This year’s essay topic was announced at a ceremony to launch the fifth edition of the competition in Accra on May 22. The topic is “Government, development partners and citizens are all concerned about the poor sanitation situation in the country. You are one of the presidential candidates in the December 2024 general election.

“Kindly outline in your manifesto why and how you will reposition sanitation as a key driver of national development. What are your key proposals to improve the basic and environmental sanitation situation in the country”.

Students in primary six through to Junior High School Two are eligible to submit applications for the competition.

Competition

The Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Technical (WASH) Specialist at World Vision Ghana, Yaw Atta Arhin, said the first round would involve the shortlisting of five best entries from four zones.

The second round would be the Masters Encounter at Zonal level where an invitation will be made to the shortlisted candidates to verbally defend their scripts and demonstrate an understanding of environmental sanitation issues.

“Round 3 which is the Battle of Champions will be the Grand Finale to be held at the National Theatre to select the overall winner as well as the first and second runners up,” he said.
He added that a third Children's Sanitation Fair would be held as a prelude to the grand finale.

Mr Arhin stated that the overall winner would be decorated as Child Sanitation Diplomat,  and supported to implement a one-year sanitation project in Ghana.

Involve children

Speaking at the launch, a Director with the Environmental and Sanitation Directorate of the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mr Kweku Quansah, called for children to be involved in the decision making on issues on sanitation.

Referring to past entries, he said organisers of the competition had received brilliant proposals on sanitation solutions, making it crucial to involve children.
“Let us encourage and give children the necessary platform to express themselves.

“According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, 73 per cent of the total population are people between the ages of zero and 35, but how many are part of decision making on sanitation issues,” he questioned.

He, however, commended the organisers of the initiative and recommended that they positioned the regional winners of the competition in a way to support good sanitation delivery.