Queens College remains closed, Lagos insists

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday says Queens College remains closed following outbreak of diarrhea in the school which has killed three students and rendered many hospitalized.

Briefing newsmen after a meeting with stakeholders, which included Queens College Principal, Parents-Teachers Association, PTA of the school, medical experts and representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Lagos Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris said the state government would not recommend the re-opening of the school now.

Idris said as at this moment, available records showed that 40 cases were admitted in various public and private hospitals as 37 cases were discharged after full recovery, while three students unfortunately died.

“However, due to multi-microbial nature of the disease occurrence, sporadic cases might still be expected. The Lagos State 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,” he said.

The commissioner said the disease was due to contamination of the multiple sources of water in the school with various micro-organisms, saying that the sources of contamination had been largely removed.

Idris said the school authority, in collaboration with PTA, Old Girls Association and the Federal Ministry of Education, were speedily addressing identified areas of lapses, adding that the interventions included 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, overhauling of the sewage system and clearance of the septic tanks.

The commissioner said the testing and retesting of water sources was currently ongoing in line with international best practices and that as soon as the results were satisfactory, the school would be certified fit for reopening.

“It is pertinent to state that water samples from the only one of the multiple water delivery points still pose concern with regard to safety and portability and this is being addressed. 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 sick bay.

“Because of the poly-microbial nature of this occurrence, continuous screening, follow up and monitoring will continue for all students and staff of the school. All proprietors of schools should ensure adequate environmental sanitation and hygiene within the school premises, provision of safe water, appropriate refuse disposal; that all kitchen staff and school food vendors undergo food handlers tests bi-annually, report unusual disease occurrence to the nearest public health facility and notify the Ministry and continuous monitoring of water and sewage treatment plants,” he said.

He added that two of the five new water sources in the school were still not certified and that until they were certified, the school would remain close as government would ensure that the lives of the students were protected.

On how the students would write their examination, the Principal of the school, Mrs. Abiola Are said SS3 and JSS3 students would come into the school as day students to write their examination and go back.

She said as soon as the school resumed, there would be no holiday as the students would proceed to third term with a little break given, saying that the students would not miss anything.