Sunday Ameh, President of King’s College The Parent Teacher Association (KCPTA) has assured parents of the association’s commitment to provide standard services that do not compromise the welfare of students.
Ameh gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos.
The president spoke in the context of reports from some parents alleging poor environmental sanitation and unavailable drinking water at the university, especially in the annex on Victoria Island.
Parents complained of a water infection that caused fever, resulting in blisters on various parts of the skin of some students, specifically those from Basic Secondary School One (JSS1).
He maintained that there was no outbreak of waterborne diseases at the university.
Mr. Ameh stated that only one drinking water source served the entire university community, including the principal and staff, and wondered how the alleged infection could have affected only JSS I students.
Speaking more about the development, the president emphasized that there was no problem of lack of potable water, not with the presence of an industrial well provided by the Federal Government for the university.
According to him, the two wells that provide water for drinking and washing, respectively, always have routine maintenance.
He added that the annex environment was equally conducive for teaching and learning to thrive.
“Yes, I received complaints from some JSS1 parents about the poor health of our Kings, and I felt very hurt and worried. These children are our first and foremost priority, joy, responsibility and why we are here.
“We can never afford to compromise their education, health, general well-being and other things that concern them. We must partner with the government to ensure they get the best they can.
“When these complaints reached us, we alerted the director and immediately went to the annex to obtain first-hand information from the infirmary.
ALSO READ: Osinachi, Rico Swavey, Ada Ameh, other celebrities we lost in 2022
“We found out that about three of the students had shown up there, been examined and given some antibiotics before they left for their break.
“Be that as it may, I have reached out to the concerned parents to express our concern and reassure them that the school leadership is meeting to establish the true cause of the development, after which, we will take it from there.
“In the meantime, we want to get closer to our kings to show solidarity with them and assure them of our prayers for a speedy recovery,” he said.
Mr. Ameh asked parents to find time to visit the school, see things for themselves and involve the association or the university to clarify issues related to the welfare and academic studies of their children and wards.
According to him, this will reduce the incidences of misperception, unverified information, doubts, rumors and deception by the general public.
For his part, the Director/Principal of the school, Andrew Agada, pointed out that since his arrival in 2019, there have never been any incidents of waterborne diseases.
He said the university had always taken extreme care with the issues of water, food and children’s welfare both on the main and annex campuses.
According to Mr. Agada, this is in addition to the fact that the 1991 Old Boys ensemble kindly helped the university provide a well on the main campus, accompanied by ongoing maintenance.
He said the university had inherited a well from the Federal College of Arts and Sciences that had served the site for more than 20 years at its annex campus on Victoria Island.
According to him, in 2020, the well collapsed and the university brought some hydraulic engineers who came to examine it and warned that it could not be revived.
Engineers urged management to find a new one.
“When we looked at the cost, we found that we couldn’t do it alone, so I wrote a letter to the ministry for urgent care, which was acknowledged, and we followed up, and eventually the contract was awarded.
“In the meantime, within that period, we purchased water to make sure our children were taken care of, regardless of the large amount. We survived it. We now have an industrial well that we all drink from, including me and the staff. The water is always treated.
“We cannot afford to have a school with very young children without running water. No government will approve that. We will continue to do our best to provide, with our very limited resources, an environment conducive to teaching and learning to thrive.
“Upon completion of the construction of the industrial well by the Federal Government, Lagos State Water Resources officials approached to collect a sample for testing, after which they certified it to be a fit,” he explained.
He lamented the health problems of some of the JSS 1 students with fevers and skin infections.
He also assured that the administration is investigating the remote cause of the health problem to take the necessary measures.
Mr. Agada added that, the president of the university’s patient forum, Mr. Ameh, had already visited the affected students at the hospital and they are showing signs of speedy recovery.
“I even spoke to some of the parents and my students, and they all expressed their appreciation for the care, concern and love shown to them by the association and the administration of the university,” Agada told NAN. (YAYA)