By: Bubacarr Gaye
Sami-Karantaba Upper Basic School in the Central River Region (CRR), has been gravely affected with water shortage for over three years now.
The School comprises an Upper Basic which was established in 1999 and a Senior Secondary School which was established in 2013, with both Schools are headed by one principal.
Ousman Jallow-Baya, a former staff of the school and current president of Sami Karantaba Ex- Students Association said the school had a hand pump established almost over ten years ago, and was the main source of water for students and those within close proximity to the school. He however said that this has broken down for over three years now and it cannot be repaired due to financial constraints.
“The school had a borehole which was donated to the community by a philanthropist. But looking at this borehole, it is not powerful enough to supply enough water for the school for used as both domestic and vegetable production, because the school is also engaged in vegetable production through gardening,” he added. He said the borehole is being used for the daily needs of the school which is not sustainable. He said it is difficult to operate during normal school hours because they get water supply around 10 and 11am in the morning, and between 5-6pm, when it is closed; that sometimes they will sit for the whole day without water and this affects the students most of the time. He said the school administration wrote to the authorities for support but no positive response has come yet.
“A school cannot operate without water, and for teaching and learning to be effective, we need to have sufficient water for our daily operation. We urge the government and the private sector to support us in our quest to get water for the school, particularly for the student’s who need it the most,” he concludes.
