Lagos State Government yesterday
insisted on continuous closure of Queen’s College, Lagos, where three students
of the schools recently lost their lives due to outbreak of diarrhea in the
school..
Lagos State Commissioner for Health,
Dr Jide Idris who revealed this after a meeting with officials of the Federal
Ministry of Education and the school authority in Alausa, said the school
cannot be reopened because the water sample from one of the multiple water
delivery points still poses concern with regards to safety and portability.
Idris said there are five water
sources in the school of which had been certified alright while the remaining
two sources still poses serious danger.
“To be specific, water samples from
the delivery points to Junior and Senior students hostels conform to official
specifications, while there is need for additional decontamination of the
reticulation to the kitchen and the sink bay.”
The commissioner explained that
because of the polymicrobial nature of this occurrence, continuous screening,
follow up and monitoring will continue for all students and staff of the
school.
He directed all proprietors of
schools to ensure, adequate environmental sanitation and hygiene within the
school premises and Provision of safe water, appropriate refuse disposal.
Idris also stressed that all kitchen
staff and school food vendors should undergo food handlers test’s
biannually as well as continuous monitoring of water and sewage treatment
plants.
He said the government regrets the
unfortunate incident especially the deaths recorded and hereby commiserates
with the parents on the painful losses and the hardship faced by survivors.
“You may recall that I did mention
during the first press briefing that the disease was due to contamination of
the multiple sources of water in the school with various micro-organisms. I am
delighted to inform you that the sources of contamination have been largely
removed,” Idris said.
According to him, the school
authority in collaboration with Parents Teachers Association, Old Girls
Association and the Federal Ministry of Education, is speedily addressing
identified areas of lapses.
He listed the identified areas of
intervention to include, decommissioning of the multiple contaminated
water sources, deployment of a single water source with water treatment,
renovation of the dining hall, decontamination of the hostels and overhauling
of the sewage system and clearance of the septic tanks,
The school Principal, Mrs. Abiola
Are said provision has been made to ensure that the junior and senior secondary
school students seat for their ongoing WAEC examination.
She said the senior students
presently come from homes adding that inspection team is in place to check the
water and food that they come into the school with.
“Our junior students exam will be in
April and by then am sure we would have been able to resolve all this issues.
A director Federal ministry of
Education, Also Mr. Jonathan Nbaka, said the government is doing all it can to
resolve the situation.
“When the issue came to limelight,
the principal denied the case that nothing happened. And after we deployed
another principal, it was revealed that the school was in crisis.
“The challenge we have had was that
the fact wasn’t coming to the Federal Government as expected. I can inform you
that I have visited the school over three times.
He said there was a little lapse on
the report filed by the Education Quality Assurance team sent prior to the
outbreak. “The report was submitted to the director of that ministry. But the
director didn’t pass the report to other department in the ministry for
appropriate action.
“Unfortunately, it was this week
that I was able to lay my hands on that report. It is a little lapse on our
part. But it is procedural issue and when procedures have existed too long, to
change it becomes an issue.”
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