The Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, has tasked principals of Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) to put in place necessary measures to curtail the outbreak of cholera disease.
Sununu was speaking in Abuja on Monday at an interactive session with all Principals of Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the country is currently experiencing a significant cholera outbreak, with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) reporting over 1,528 suspected cases in 31 states.
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The outbreak has affected Lagos, Bayelsa, Zamfara, Abia, Cross River, Bauchi, Delta, Katsina, Imo, and Nasarawa states.
The Minister urged the Principals to tackle the spread of the disease in their various schools and as well detect early signs of the outbreak.
“The country is challenged with cholera outbreak and it is the responsibility of all principals to put in place necessary measures to detect early signs.
“This is to ensure that it does not get to our schools. Any issue must be communicated to the ministry, so that our schools will be protected.
“It is a collective effort to ensure hygiene in our schools as this will help the government to curtail the outbreak,” he said.
Sununu also charged the principals to ensure professionalisation in the teaching profession, by ensuring all teachers within their domain get certification from TRCN.
According to him, many staff of the federal government colleges have not regularised their certificate.
He, therefore, called on the principals to encourage their teachers to renew their annual practicing licences, noting that they would be termed as quacks for failing to do so.
Also speaking, Dr Idowu Akinbamijo, Principal, Federal, Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Ilesa, said there were moves to secure the colleges.
Akinbamijo said measure had been taken to secure the schools in terms of security of lives and properties as well as the health situations.
She canvassed for the employment of more teachers, especially in critical trade subjects’ areas.
“We cannot afford an outbreak of any such in our colleges. So all principals are giving the matching orders and we are all set.
“Our staffs need to be increased, we are seriously lacking critical subject areas and we need teachers that can do this.
“This is something that will go far beyond the ministry; it has to do with the teacher production methods.
“More students have to be admitted into the colleges of education and universities to be trained as teachers and more of them should be deployed to teach and not finding their ways in other profession,” she said. (NAN)
