The District Health management Team in Kasempa has given Mukinge Girls Secondary School an ultimatum of three weeks to improve sanitary conditions at the learning institution.
According to a report obtained by ZANIS in Kasempa District, the school has been operating under severe unsanitary conditions which have the potential to cause illness.
The move follows reports of more than 20 pupils being admitted to the hospital after complaining of flues and diarrhea diseases since the schools re-opened.
The report states that the school has breached the Public Health Act 295 and the Food and Drug Act Cap 303 of the laws of Zambia by not adhering to the highest standards of cleanliness.
The findings are that the school has been preparing food under extreme unhealthy conditions.
The school is also said to have inadequate sanitary accommodation due to the closure of one of the ablution blocks causing the 540 pupils to share two wash blocks.
And Kasempa District Commissioner Henry Shantolo said the condition at the school is not pleasing and has since urged the school administration to improve the situation as soon as possible.
Mr. Shantolo, however said his office has not received any report about any outbreak of diseases at the school.
And a check by ZANIS at Mukinge Mission Hospital revealed that some pupils complained of chest and abdominal pains.
Meanwhile school Acting Head teacher Dickson Mtonga said the situation was alarming as it was the first time to have a number of pupils faling ill at the same period.
He said the school faces many challenges in providing a better sanitary environment for the pupils and that at present the school only has two sanitary officers to clean the wash block and the kitchen.
ZANIS
its always the case in Zambian boarding schools
what has gone wrong at a school which used to be one of the cleanest in the region,the question is ,is it still being run by missionaries or its now the govt of the day?
I remember at my former boarding school, only one toilet shank used to flush out of 30 shanks!!! It was bad!!! Now you can imagine!! Up todate i still experience nightmares of those toilets!!!
when the school used to have female headteachers such problems were never heard,hence can the authority revisit the whole situation to see the difference.
where does the money the pupils pay go to,instead of using part of it to pay more workers to help maitain sanity at the institution.
I am a former student of Mukinge Girls and I must say this makes me very sad. It was not like this when Mr. Ntaimo was the headmaster.
This school was once a shinning example both in terms of cleanliness and results; but its reputation is slowly sinking due to poor criteria in selecting headteachers with no vision or administrative qualities. The running agency should carefully re-visit its political ideologies of choosing headteachers, or else the school is headed for a big fall. Its a girls’ school ,and so its just in order to have one of the top 2 administrators to be female. Misplaced priorities! how did others manage?
When missionaries were running this school all was well. My father Mr Mwewa was the Bursar there. When missionaries left, satan the devil has taken over the running of this once good Girls’ school. Abortions,Tujilijili etc have now taken big root and on the loot. ECZ Bishop Mususu come in and help this school.
THE MANAGEMENT AT THIS SCHOOL IS REALLY OUT OF ORDER. SURELY HOW DO YOU FAIL TO PROPERLY PLAN A SCHOOL WHEN YOU COLLECT MONEY FROM PUPILS EVERY TERM? PLS, BRING IN NEW MANAGEMENT ASAP BEFORE BY NORAD FIMO FIMO INSULT US.
CORRECTIONS….PROPERLY PLAN FOR A SCHOOL…
why can’t schools country wide work with local communities to use local resources to support the schools and the local communities? If farming is a key area of business in the area were the school is located, then such schools should mak sure agriculture is a key subject that can be leanrt on a pratical as well as commercial level so that both communities and schools benefit. If this simple concept is replicated country wide, it would do wanders to zambia.