A new performance audit by Ghana’s Auditor-General has unveiled a deeply troubling reality: 60% of basic and secondary schools across the country lack access to toilets and running water, placing students’ health, dignity, and education at risk.

The nationwide audit highlights a critical gap in Ghana’s progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6), which commits countries to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030. With just five years remaining, Ghana is far from meeting this target.

According to the 2025 performance audit, only 2 in every 5 schools have functional toilet and urinal facilities with running water. This means thousands of public schools are operating below the minimum sanitation standards.

The situation is even more dire when measured against local legal requirements. The Pre-Tertiary Education Act (2020) mandates at least one toilet cubicle for every 50 students. Yet, an alarming 87% of schools do not meet this standard. At Tamale Islamic Science Senior High School, 4,591 students share a single KVIP toilet with just two squat holes. In Kumasi’s State Experimental 1 M/A Basic School, 169 students depend on just one toilet.

This crisis is more than an infrastructure failure—it is a public health emergency. Poor sanitation is causing students, especially girls, to miss school during menstruation, face health risks from infections, or resort to unsafe open defecation. In Tamale, some girls have reported using bushes or public toilets when school facilities are locked due to water shortages.

This is not a new problem. In 2010, the Ministry of Education rolled out a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative under the Education Strategic Plan (ESP 2010–2020), aiming to equip 75% of basic schools with sanitation infrastructure by 2020. That goal has not been met.

The audit attributes part of the failure to poor planning and misplaced priorities. In many cases, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) focus on building classrooms while neglecting sanitation needs. Some schools have water closet toilets that remain locked due to water shortages, while others have donor-funded toilet blocks that sit unused for years because they were never properly handed over.

Even in schools where toilets exist, maintenance is often neglected. The audit found disturbing conditions: faeces on floors, broken flushing systems, discarded sanitary pads, and filthy urinals. Cleaning schedules are not enforced, and many schools have never received basic cleaning materials.

This crisis forces children to make a heartbreaking choice—between attending school and preserving their dignity. For too many Ghanaian students, particularly girls, school has become a place of discomfort and risk instead of safety and growth.

Without urgent action, Ghana risks leaving a generation of students behind—not just academically, but in their most basic right to hygiene and human dignity.

The University of Ghana has suspended all social events on its Legon campus after a spike in COVID-19 infections among students. However, lectures will proceed as scheduled, according to a directive issued by the Dean of Student Affairs.

Speaking on Citi FM’s Breakfast Show on Thursday, June 26, Professor Rosina Kyerematen, Dean of Student Affairs, clarified that only social gatherings are affected — not academic lectures.

“Lectures are not social gatherings,” she explained. “In a lecture hall, students listen and take notes quietly. The risk of transmission is much lower compared to a social event like an artiste night, where there is loud excitement and close contact.”

She assured the public that strict safety protocols would be in place for lectures. “Students must wear face masks and maintain social distancing in lecture rooms,” she added.

The announcement follows a June 25 notice from the Dean of Student Affairs’ office, which banned all social gatherings organized by student bodies — including the Student Representative Council (SRC), Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), Junior Common Rooms (JCRs), and departmental groups.

The decision was prompted by several confirmed COVID-19 cases on campus, as recommended by the university’s Emergency Response Team. While the exact number of infections has not been released, the increase in cases has raised concern among the university community.

The University of Ghana, which previously adopted online teaching during COVID-19 waves in 2020 and 2021, assured that this current surge would not interrupt the academic calendar. University authorities continue to encourage strict adherence to safety protocols and urge those with symptoms to report immediately to campus health services for testing and care.

Social events will remain suspended until further notice.

Read the full notice by the university:

The National Service Authority (NSA) has officially released PIN codes for 132,393 eligible graduates from 100 accredited tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 service year.

In a statement dated June 17, Acting Director General of the NSA, Felix Gyamfi, announced the development and highlighted major reforms in data validation that have significantly reduced inflated submissions. According to him, this year’s approved figure marks a 26% average drop compared to the last three years, with a peak decline of 36% from the 2022/2023 period.

“This process has effectively eliminated any form of inflated or bogus submissions,” Mr. Gyamfi noted.

Out of 135,990 submissions received from 122 institutions, only 132,393 were approved. Notably, 3,597 entries from 22 unaccredited institutions were excluded due to their lack of recognition by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC). The NSA has given these institutions 30 days to regularise their status or risk having their graduates barred from the national service.

In addition, 908 PINs for private applicants — including Ghanaians who studied abroad and individuals who deferred or defaulted in previous years — are pending final verification before release.

Mr. Gyamfi encouraged all applicants to verify their status by June 24, 2025, and reach out via NSA’s support lines if their PINs remain inaccessible.

Military Training Option Introduced

In a new initiative to enhance service discipline and national preparedness, the NSA is introducing a six-week basic military training programme for selected 2025/2026 service personnel.

Interested applicants can opt in during the online registration period from June 17 to July 1, 2025. Those who select this option will receive their agency postings only after completing the training.

“All eligible applicants are advised to complete their registration within the stated period and use available support resources for a smooth enrolment experience,” Mr. Gyamfi added.