Queen’s College Health Crisis: Parents Condemn Ministry of Education’s Silence

Following the death of three students, in what the Lagos State government said was as a result of a bacterial infection through contaminated water, parents and guardians  of Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos are calling on the federal government, through the Ministry of Education to act and not allow the issue to be swept under the carpet.

Over 1,200 students reported symptoms of bacterial infection, and 16 others were hospitalised.

Two of the students died in February, and one died last week.

After the death of two students, the Ministry of Health set up an investigative panel just as Dr Lami Amodu, the former principal of the school denied the incident. Amodu, who was later transferred from the school, blamed the report on people who want to rubbish the name of the school.

According to PUNCH, the parents are calling for an investigation into the school’s financial system.

According to a parent, the student who died last week was a 14-year old orphan.

“She was an orphan. At a point, there was nobody to pay her hospital bills and a group of us had to raise money for her treatment. Another parent, whose daughter was also admitted to the hospital at that time, coordinated the fundraising for the girl before she died.

We are angry because despite all these, the Federal Ministry of Education is not investigating anything. We believe corruption is involved.

If investigations start, a lot of questions will be raised about finances. If the former principal is questioned, heads will roll. We believe that was why she was quickly transferred to another school,” the parent said.

Another parent said:

Queen’s College has five vice principals– vice principal academic, senior school; vice principal administration; vice principal special duties; vice principal junior school; and vice principal student affairs.

There is also the federal ministry of education inspectorate department, which should oversee whatever is happening in the school. But how things degenerated to the level of losing three girls without any of these officials knowing beats my imagination.

I am pained because although lives had been lost and some pupils are still sick, the ministry of education has not issued any statement.

Another parent urged the Federal Government to step into the case and ensure the three girls did not die in vain.

Speaking on the incident, the school’s PTA Chairman Dr. John Ofodike, said:

We have set up a panel to look into the management of funds by the previous PTA administration.

The PTA does not run the college; we are just playing supervisory and advisory roles.

Since my administration came in, we have been using our personal money to support the school. There has been a long time decay of infrastructure in the college. We have been using our personal funds to run the college.

And please, note that the proprietor of the school is the Federal Ministry of Education. Tell the Federal Government to probe the deaths. When the pupils were stooling and had diarrhoea, the PTA medical team played its part and left.