By Alieu Jallow
Jereng Upper and Senior Secondary School, a public institution in Niamina East, faces a severe water crisis after its only functioning borehole broke down. The situation is seriously disrupting the school’s learning environment and agricultural programs.
According to the school’s principal, Yahya Faal, the issue has persisted for weeks and continues to disrupt the day-to-day activities of the school.
“It has been weeks now that the only borehole in the school is not functioning due to some technical issues. As a result of this, the school is unable to provide water to students during school hours, which has greatly hampered the teaching and learning activities in the school and is contributing to lost contact hours due to students’ movement in search of water,” Principal Faal lamented.
Despite efforts by the school administration to resolve the issue, the financial burden of the repairs has proven overwhelming.
“The technician charged the school about ninety thousand Dalasis (D90,000), which the school is not in a financial position to pay due to lack of funds,” he explained.
Principal Faal made a passionate plea to the wider community and relevant stakeholders to support the school in restoring its water supply.
“For this, we reach out to you as a school and a community to help us in bringing back the water supply to the school to allow the continuation of effective teaching and learning,” he appealed.
The impact, he emphasized, extends beyond classroom instruction, affecting the school’s agricultural stream, an essential part of their curriculum.
“As it is, the problem is yet to be fixed, and students still carry their buckets in search of water. It is against this backdrop we plea for your timely intervention and support to fix this problem.”
Elizabeth Mendy, the head girl of the school, echoed the urgency of the situation, citing the dire lack of drinkable water and sanitation facilities.
“We really need water in the school to make learning very conducive, so we are appealing for help from the government,” she said.
With a current enrollment of 777 students in both the upper and senior levels, the school community remains hopeful for a swift response to their call. They believe that with collective support, their right to a dignified and conducive learning environment can be restored.
