Classes suspended after health authority condemns toilet facilities

By Alphonse Porau
Ekivaki Primary School in the National Capital District has suspended classes for three weeks to allow time to repair its toilet facilities condemned by the NCDC health authority.
The classes were suspended last Wednesday.
School principal Colin Hobart told The National yesterday that classes were suspended on the instruction of the NCDC health inspectors after seeing the toilet facilities not in order and was not suitable for more than 2200 students.
“We have a total of 2200 students, both elementary and primary schools, going into the same toilet blocks which are insufficient for the ratio,” he said.
“The NCDC health inspector inspected the toilets and saw that it needed proper upgrading and repair.
“After three weeks the inspectors will return to do another inspection to open the toilet and school will return to normal operations.”
Hobart said the total cost of the repair was in the vicinity of about K10,000 and the parents agreed in a meeting to raise funds for the work.
He said parents had shown concern and were moving in to contribute money and some had offered their services to assist ancillary staff do the renovation.
“The parents are very concerned, they cannot leave their children out of school for the number of weeks so they are moving in and I believe we have already gone past that amount,” Hobart said.
He said work could possibly begin today. Hobart said teachers were providing homework for upper grades (7 and 8) to pick up every day at the school and do at home while others were told to stay home.
Hobart said communities around Hohola, mainly youths who used the school facilities for recreation activities, were partly responsible for the damage to the toilet facilities.