The Headteacher and Personnel in a ceremonial tree planting exercise
More than 60 national service personnel who were deployed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the 2016/17 year have held a sensitisation programme on environmental and sanitation management for basic school pupils in Weija within the Ga South Municipal Assembly of the Greater Accra Region.
About 1,000 pupils of the Weija Municipal Assembly 1, 2 and 3 and Presbyterian Junior High Schools last Friday were sensitised by the personnel on strategies for effective environmental and sanitation management.
According to Eric Ansah, Chairman for EPA National Service End of Service Project, the programme was introduced in 2014 to create a platform for the personnel to identify and implement strategies which serve as solutions to basic environmental challenges confronting communities.
“Our focus is to target children and equip them with skills which help them to influence their peers positively to be wary of practices such as indiscriminate disposal of waste, among others, which turn to affect the environment,” he stated.
The chairman further disclosed that the sensitisation exercise is intended to partner government in its efforts to ensure that Accra and other cities across the country are very neat to help attract investors and tourists into the country.
Mr Ansah further indicated that as part of the end of service project, the group would make donations to the Weija Leprosarium later in the month.
The head teacher of MA 1&2 Primary and JHS Schools, Takyi Kodam, described the programme as very timely and relevant for their circumstance.
He appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) to help fence round the school, which, at present, is exposed to encroachment from members of the community.
The prefect of MA 1&2 Primary and JHS Schools, Master Ishmael Ampadu, lauded the service personnel for the sensitisation programme, adding that they have been empowered to join forces to resist practices which destroy the environment.
He assured that they would introduce school-based environmental clubs as part of efforts to keep their focus on being environmental giants.
By Solomon Ofori