Determined to curb the spread of Ebola in schools across the state, the Kaduna State Government had earmarked N116 million for the training and sensitisation of teachers in all public and private schools within the three senatorial zones in the state.
The government also announced that although schools were now to resume in September 2014, Kaduna schools were free to resume in October if they were yet to be prepared against the scourge.
Speaking at the flag off of the training workshop for the teachers organised by the state Ministry of Education at the premises of Government College Kaduna, the Commissioner for Education, Malam Ibrahim Ali said Kaduna State was the first in the federation to start the workshop for teachers on Ebola.
He thanked Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero for approving the huge sum to train 13,000 teachers in the senatorial zones on the prevention of Ebola in both public and private schools.
He, however, called on the private schools’ owners to reciprocate the kind gesture, saying the National Association of Private Schools (NAPS) had earlier requested the state governor to provide them with the clinical thermometers for the testing of Ebola of which he had responded.
Government, he said, would provide each school with two of the thermometres, but the schools were at liberty to add more.
Kaduna schools were at liberty to resume in October, but before the resumption, all schools must organise a similar workshop on Ebola, he said.
On the complaints that some private schools were not paying their staff during holidays, Ali said that should be discussed with the president of NAPS.
He announced that in appreciation of the performance of Kaduna students in last WASSCE, Chevron had awarded some of their students’ scholarship to further their education in addition to about 58 of their students now studying in various disciplines overseas.
While reiterating that Kaduna is recognised globally for doing well in the education sector, Ali said schools should be prepared to replace the batteries of the clinical thermometer because the more the usage, the faster the battery loses strength.
He said that each school must have buckets and liquid soap in classrooms for the students, while large buckets be made available in secondary schools.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Dr Madinatu Shehu, urged participants to listen carefully to the sensitisation workshop on Ebola because a lot of money was used to organise the workshop.
Chairman of SUBEB, Mr Ishaya Dare Akawu said SUBEB took the issue of fighting Ebola very seriously and emphasised the need for the promotion of a healthy learning environment.
He called on the teachers to inculcate the right sense of hygiene in their students, saying schools would be monitored and the yardstick for assessment would be how neat the environment was because the fight aganist Ebola is a fight between life and death.
He charged the teachers, especially those in primary schools to ensure that sources of drinking water were healthy and good, adding that if students were taught the right health habits, it would go a long way to help stop the spread of Ebola.
President of NAPS, Dr Vincent Ogini commended the state government for coming up with the initiative, saying they now had a vibrant commissioner who would want the children to learn and to remain healthy.
He said schools were hitherto complacent about sanitation, but with the reemergence of Ebola, they are now prepared to curb the disease.
He said they would support a monitoring team that would visit the schools and make sure sanitation and good hygiene were maintained.
President of the Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Alhaji Danjuma Shehu said that it was now their task to protect the children and since they had entrusted the life of their children to the teachers, the importance of the workshop would not be over stressed.
He also commended the state government for the huge sum of money set aside for the workshop, which he said, was geared towards the protection of their children.
A technical partner during the workshop, Dr Salma from e-worldwide group, said the workshop was the beginning of how the teachers would strive to change behaviour on their approach to hygiene and sanitation.
Kaduna schools to get Ebola testing machines
THE Commissioner for Education in Kaduna State, Alhaji Ibrahim Ali, has directed schools in the state to acquire the Ebola testing gadgets so as to screen their students on resumption on October 13, 2014.
Ali told a gathering of principals of public and private schools at a meeting that they must carry out the test on all their students before allowing them into the school premises.
He said the state government had also concluded arrangement to distribute Ebola testing machines to schools to aid in the screening of students.
The commissioner said two machines would be given to every school with a population of 500 students and below, while schools with population of 1,000 students would get four machines each.
Ali, however, warned private schools to desist from increasing school fees without following laid down principles, and that public school principals must also stop using their personal bank accounts for saving school fees.
“All public schools must make frantic efforts to remit school fees to the government’s coffers in good time and as a matter of urgency, open school accounts, in case you don’t have an active school account,” he warned.
Commenting on increased annual dues charged private schools, a matter the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) is already contesting in court, the commissioner expressed optimism that NAPPS would not defeat government in the court.
Speaking on the matter, the Kaduna State President of NAPPS, Dr Vincent Ogini, appealed to the state government to look into the harmonisation of the taxes paid by private schools.
He said NAPPS did not object to payment of tax, but that its members still suffer multiple taxation.
“Presently, we pay about 13 taxes. We want these taxes to be harmonised. All of a sudden, the Ministry of Education just increased annual dues of private schools by 1,000 per cent. Schools that were paying N50, 000 before are now asked to pay N500,000.We are already in court and we believe in the court as the last hope of the common man,” he said.
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