EduWatch demands life jackets for students who cross rivers to school

Education think tank, Africa Education Watch (EduWatch) has called on the government to as a matter of necessity, make life jackets available to all schools in districts with water transportation.

Making the demands, EduWatch said life jackets must be made available for anyone having to cross water bodies, especially school children.

EduWatch said interactions with educational authorities in the area indicate that it is a daily occurrence for students in the Sene East District of the Bono Region which begs for urgent attention for life jackets to be provided to facilitate safe water travel.

“Our engagement with education officials in the district indicates that, on a regular basis, over a hundred pupils and staff sail to school under unregulated transport systems/conditions

This includes the absence of life jackets in available boats.”

It, therefore, urged “the Ghana Education Service (GES) to facilitate the availability of life jackets to all school children and staff who sail to and from school, not only in the Sene East district but all other island and settler communities where children and staff commute by water transport to school

EdutWatch also admonished “the Minister of Education to work closely with the Sene East District Assembly and other local authorities in districts with island communities to strengthen the enforcement of health and safety standards at all water transport routes across the country, specifically, in the Sene East area where this unfortunate incident occurred.”