Pupils and teachers of Akyem Pano Presbyterian Basic School in the Eastern Region on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, staged a peaceful demonstration to protest against the repeated defecation in their classrooms by unidentified persons.
Wearing red armbands and holding placards with inscriptions such as “The Kids Are Tired of Scrubbing Toilets Every Morning” and “Stop Defecating in Our Classroom,” the demonstrators marched through the principal streets of Akyem Pano chanting solidarity songs and demanding urgent intervention from authorities.
According to residents, the repeated incidents, which also reportedly involve the destruction of classroom doors at night, have become a major challenge to teaching and learning in the school.
Pupils and teachers are often compelled to clean human waste from classrooms before lessons can begin.
Speaking during the protest, PTA Chairman Alhaji Issah Alhassan, popularly known as Shaibu Tettey, described the situation as disturbing and unacceptable.
He warned that anyone found loitering around the school premises after 7:00 p.m. would face legal action.
He also cautioned individuals using the school compound as a sleeping place to stop immediately, stressing that the behaviour poses a serious health risk to both pupils and staff.
The demonstration coincided with a durbar organised by the Pano Diamond Ladies Club in collaboration with Femicare Ghana to promote menstrual hygiene among basic school pupils in the community.
Addressing participants at the event, the Headmistress of the school, Madam Darko Kyerewaa, said the protest had become necessary to draw public attention to the ordeal teachers and pupils endure each morning before academic activities commence.
She appealed to authorities, opinion leaders, and members of the community to support efforts to end the situation and help provide a clean, safe, and conducive environment for effective teaching and learning.
Residents and parents are now calling for increased security around the school premises to prevent further incidents.
CREDIT: Mavis Fantevi
