What should have been an ordinary afternoon of washing clothes turned fatal for Bernard Aikins, a final-year student of Diabene Secondary Technical School.
His tragic death while fetching water from an abandoned quarry pit is a painful reminder of the hidden dangers many Ghanaian learners face simply because their schools lack reliable water supply.
His story struck me deeply and motivated me to write this piece.
A final-year student of the Diabene Secondary Technical School, Bernard Aikins, drowned last Saturday in a pit which serves as a source of water for boarding students of the school.
The pit is at an abandoned quarry site. He had gone to the site, in the company of his friends, that Saturday afternoon to wash his clothes and bath, since the taps in the school were not running. In the course of washing, Aikins attempted to fetch one more bucket of water but, in the process, he slipped into the abandoned pit, about the size of a football field, and within seconds he was nowhere to be found.
Some good Samaritans responded but after they had dived into the pond several times, they brought up Aikins’s lifeless body.
Students of the school staged a demonstration to protest the death of their mate and that led to a temporary suspension of academic activities. (Daily Graphic, 2014)
This tragic incident highlights that water shortages in schools are not just inconvenient.
They can cost lives and severely affect learners’ confidence and wellbeing.
The water shortage is an age-old problem. It is rather unfortunate that it persists.
Many years ago, back in school, the shortage was so intense that some learners resorted to stealing water from colleagues. Everyone had to find a safe space to hide the water they had fetched to avoid it being taken. Some seniors even used it as an advantage to bully juniors: you either fetch water for them or risk punishment.
It was indeed frustrating. In one instance, a learner was asked to kneel in the sun for hours after refusing to fetch water for a senior colleague.
Afterwards, he was forced to fetch the water, not only for that senior, but others.
This made him extremely weak and could not even attend classes.
Sometimes learners would carry buckets until they nearly reached their breaking point.
All these hardships could have been avoided if there was a constant flow of water.
In those days, i remember some learners had to resort to easing themselves in a nearby bush.
Others simply used the toilets as they were, filled with unflushed feaces and maggots. It was, in fact, an eyesore!
The stench from the urinals and toilets was unbearable, making bedtime more uncomfortable.
This situation posed serious health risks for learners and further disrupted their ability to focus on studies.
Learning disruptions
A recent performance audit by the Auditor-General reveals a worrying reality: six out of ten basic and secondary schools in Ghana lack access to toilet facilities and water.
Across the country, learners are forced to study in conditions that compromise their health and dignity (Jason Dei, JoyNews Research Desk, 2025).
Water is indispensable in schools. It is needed for drinking, sanitation, cleaning, and emergencies.
In one instance, water helped to contain a fire outbreak in a school staff room before the fire service arrived.
Yet, in many parts of Ghana, water shortages persist. Learners often walk long distances in search of water, reducing instructional time.
Some miss school entirely, while others arrive tired or anxious from long queues, directly affecting their confidence and learning outcomes.
At Taviefe Senior High School in the Ho Municipality, students face persistent water shortages that affect their health, comfort, and academic work.
From dawn to dusk, students walk long distances, sometimes outside the school, with buckets and gallons to fetch water for daily use.
“Fetching water has become part of our daily struggle. Sometimes you walk far and still come back with water you are not confident using,” said Bless Nyake, a student (Citinewsroom.com, 2026).
Community burden
Water scarcity extends beyond schools. It reflects broader community challenges.
The Queen Mother of Ampaha in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti Region has appealed to philanthropists and civil society to support the construction of a borehole to address the lack of potable water (Republic Online, 2021).
Some positive steps have been taken: an NGO recently constructed two mechanised boreholes for Akyem Aperade Senior High School, while old students’ associations have supported their alma maters with water storage facilities.
For example, the Old Students Association of Kwahu Ridge Secondary Technical High School at Obo rehabilitated a borehole at a cost of GH¢3,700 and is planning another costing GH¢85,000, with support from donors such as Golden Tulip (Businessnewsghana.com, 2010).
However, these interventions remain insufficient to meet the national scale of the problem.
Water shortages also impose a heavy burden on learners.
Some must purchase water, placing financial strain on families.
Others attend school without bathing, leading to discomfort, embarrassment, and reduced confidence.
Many wake up before dawn to fetch water, leaving them tired and less attentive in class.
Health risks
The search for water exposes children to hazards. Rivers, abandoned pits, and uncovered boreholes can be deadly.
Bernard Aikins’ death is a stark example. No learner should risk their life to meet a basic need.
Water shortages also affect health. WaSH-related diseases remain prevalent among school children in Ghana (Zormal, 2016).
Lack of clean water increases the risk of infections such as cholera and dysentery.
During health crises such as COVID-19, regular handwashing was critical yet schools without water struggled to implement basic hygiene measures.
Access to water is essential for effective teaching, learning, and building learners’ confidence.
Without it, even well-designed educational programs may fail.
Government, civil society organisations, and individuals must intensify efforts to provide reliable and safe water sources in basic schools.
At the very least, every school should have access to one functional borehole to ensure a reliable water supply for learners and staff.
Ensuring water availability is not just about infrastructure.
It is about safeguarding the health, dignity, and future of Ghana’s children. Who is watching? Who is listening?
Institutional Assessment Practitioner
hattanyame@gmail.com
