King’s College dismisses rumoured outbreak of waterborne disease

The management of King’s College in Lagos state has dismissed rumoured outbreak of waterborne disease in the school. 

Recently, some parents raised concerns over alleged poor sanitation and lack of potable water in the college, especially at its annex on Victoria Island.

This came after some Junior Secondary School (JSS1) students allegedly experienced fever and blisters on parts of their skin as a result of a water infection.

But speaking with NAN on Thursday, Sunday Ameh, chairman of the college’s Parent Teacher Association (KCPTA), asked the public to disregard such rumour.

Ameh said the entire college has one source of drinking water, adding that there was no way only JSS1 students would be affected if there was indeed an outbreak as claimed.

“Yes, I got complaints from some JSS1 parents about the ill health of our Kings, and I felt very pained and concerned. These children are our first and foremost priority, our joy, our responsibility and the reason why we are here,” he said.

“We can never afford to compromise their education, health, general welfare and other things that concern them. We are to partner government to ensure that they get the best possible.

“When these complaints got to us, we alerted the principal and immediately, we set out to the annex to get firsthand information from the sick bay.

“We discovered that about three of the students had reported there, been examined and administered 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 to reassure them, as the school management is meeting to establish the real cause of the development, after which, we take it up from there.

“Meanwhile, we want to reach out to our kings to sympathise with them and to assure them of our prayers for a very speedy recovery.”

The PTA chairman urged the parents to always visit the school to seek clarification on issues concerning the welfare and academics of their children.

Also speaking, Andrew Agada, the college’s director and principal, said since his arrival in 2019, there has never been any incident of waterborne disease.

Agada added that the college always takes issues of water, food, and the welfare of the students in both the main campus and the annex with extreme care.

He also said an investigation has commenced to find out the remote cause of the health concern by the affected students for necessary action.

“I even spoke with some of the parents and my students and they all expressed appreciation for the care, concern and love shown to them by the association and college management,” he said.