October 7, 2014 – Ahead of Wednesday resumption of schools, Lagos State Government today began distribution of sanitary wares and instructional materials like water tanks, buckets, soaps, gloves, posters, handbills, instructional compact discs and handouts on the Ebola virus disease to schools as part of effort to keep the disease away from the school environment.
Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public Health, Dr. Yewande Adeshina who stated this while addressing a crowd of teachers and head of schools at the Eko FM ground, Agidingbi, Ikeja noted that the State government postponed the resumption of schools earlier slated for September 22 to October 8 in order to put some preventive mechanism in place prior to resumption of schools.
She explained that part of the preventive and infection control mechanism being put in place include the training of teachers and focal persons for each schools on Ebola Virus disease prevention, procurement and distribution of infra-red hand held scanners, production and distribution of educational materials and mobilization of heads of schools on how to source and make water available in their respective schools.
Adeshina noted that the state government has data on the availability of water in public schools across the state stressing that temporary measures are being put in place by the state government on the provision of water in schools with no water.
According to him, the measures include the provision of water tanks, coloured and transparent bucket and distribution of N5000 to schools without water for temporary purchase of water for use in the schools.
She noted that the state government will include ‘a hand washing’ class in the school curriculum to encourage practical session on hand washing in a bid to inculcate the culture of hand washing in pupils.
“We have posters to educate pupils on Ebola Virus Disease, we also have posters that give instructions on proper hand washing technique. This posters and instructional materials are designed to be posted on the walls of classrooms. A compact disc to aid teachers on presentation on Ebola virus disease and a student handout manual on the disease have also being distributed”, Adeshina said.
