LAGOS State government said on Tuesday that Queens College, Yaba, which in recent time was hit with outbreak of diarrhoea diseases, will still remain closed indefinitely.

Three students of the all-females school were confirmed to have died since the outbreak of the deadly disease last February, with both state governments, school authorities and other stakeholders taking appropriate measures to forestall it.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr Jide Idris, gave this position while addressing journalists after a meeting with officials of the Federal Ministry of Education and the school authority in Alausa.

He said the government took the decision because it was not satisfied with the series of tests carried out on the water facilities in the school.

His words: “I can’t tell you when the school will be opened; it will remain closed because the tests carried out on the water system in the school showed that there are still many organism, junks and with this, we can’t allow the school to be reopened.

“When the school will reopen largely depends on the positive result from their water system. So far, we have carried out laboratory test on five of their water sources. We are satisfied with three of them and until the remaining two were fully satisfied, the school will remain closed,” the commissioner said.

According to Idris, the water samples from the delivery points to junior and senior students hostels, to be specific, conform to official specifications, saying notwithstanding, there was need for additional decontamination of the reticulation to the kitchen and the sick bay.

He explained that because of the poly microbial nature of this occurrence, continuous screening, follow up and monitoring would continue for all students and staff of the school.

The commissioner directed all proprietors of schools to ensure adequate environmental sanitation and hygiene within the school premises and provision of safe water, appropriate refuse disposal.

He 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.

Idris said the government regretted the unfortunate incident especially the deaths recorded and commiserated 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,” the commissioner said.

Idris noted that the school authority in collaboration with Parents Teachers Association (PTA), Old Girls Association and the Federal Ministry of Education, were speedily addressing identified areas of lapses.

According to him, the identified areas of intervention 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, in her remark, said provision had been made to ensure that the junior and senior secondary school students sat for their ongoing WAEC examinations.

She said the senior students were coming from homes, adding that inspection team was in place to check the water and food that they came into the school with.

“Our junior students’ exam will be in April and by then I’m sure, we would have been able to resolve all this issues.

A director, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Jonathan Nbaka, who also spoke, said the government was doing all it could to resolve the problem.

“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.

Mbaka said there was a little lapse on the report filed by the Education Quality Assurance team sent prior to the outbreak and submitted to the director of that ministry.

“The report was submitted to the director of that ministry. But the director didn’t pass the report to other departments 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 procedure have existed too long, to change it become an issue,” Mbaka said.

Tribune

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