Akyem Pano Basic School pupils protest after classrooms are turned into public toilets

Correspondence from Eastern Region

The serene atmosphere of Akyem Pano was disrupted on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, as pupils and teachers of the Akyem Pano Presbyterian Basic School took to the streets in a peaceful demonstration.

Their mission: to demand an immediate end to the recurring and degrading practice of unidentified individuals defecating in their classrooms.

Clad in red armbands and wielding placards with messages 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 the town.

Chanting songs of solidarity, they sought to draw urgent public attention to a sanitation crisis that is severely undermining their academic environment.

The protest follows months of mounting frustration. According to school authorities and local residents, the classrooms are frequently broken into at night, leaving staff and students to face a repulsive sight each morning.

Instead of beginning their lessons, pupils are often forced to spend their first hours of the day scrubbing human waste from their learning spaces.

What makes the situation particularly baffling to the community is the presence of a functional public toilet facility located just behind the school.

Despite the proximity of this facility, perpetrators continue to prefer the school’s interior, turning a place of learning into a breeding ground for health hazards.

The issue has sparked widespread outrage, with the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) now taking a hardline stance.

PTA Chairman Issah Alhassan, fondly known as Shaibu Tettey, labelled the behaviour as “unacceptable” and a direct assault on the dignity of the school.

“We have had enough of this,” Alhassan stated during the protest. He issued a stern warning to those using the school compound as a nighttime refuge or latrine, declaring that from now on, anyone found loitering on the school premises after 7:00 p.m. will face immediate legal action.



The demonstration coincided with a durbar organised by the Pano Diamond Ladies Club in partnership with Femicare Ghana, which was intended to focus on menstrual hygiene. However, the event was overshadowed by the plight of the school.

The Headmistress, Darko Kyerewaa, used the platform to plead with community stakeholders and the Municipal Education Directorate to stop ignoring their cries.

She emphasised that the current situation is not only a sanitation issue but also a significant psychological and academic burden.

“Our children deserve a safe, clean, and conducive environment to learn,” Darko Kyerewaa said.

“We cannot expect effective teaching when our first priority every single morning is cleaning up human excreta.”



As the community reels from the protest, residents are now calling for improved security measures, such as better lighting and stricter night patrols, to protect the school’s integrity and ensure that pupils can return to their desks without the shadow of this daily indignity.