Parents are bitter about how their children are being treated at Queen’s College, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, where two pupils have died from drinking unclean water.

Vivian Osuinyi died of diarrhea on February 14; Itula Bithna died of typhoid on February 22.

The girls, who were junior secondary pupils, died at home after falling ill in school

The Parents Teachers Association (PTA) Chairman, Mr John Ofordike, said he was called to the school three months ago to attend to a medical issue.

“As far as I am concerned I cannot tell you the cause of their death, but, was told that it is typhoid fever and it was caused by bad water. Three months ago, there was an incident in the college. Students were vomiting and purging and I was called upon. When I got there I saw children at the sick bay receiving treatments and while some were still waiting to be treated. We tried to examine the issue but didn’t know where the fault was. So in the end, I donated 3,000 bags of pure water which lasted for five days and during that period the number of children vomiting and purging reduced

“Before they vacated, I advised parents to take their children for medical check-up. So many did and I got so many complaints – of fever, high level of typhoid in their system. It is disheartening that four months into my election as the chairman, there have been medical issues and even deaths,” he said.

Ofordike noted that the pupils were not benefiting from the Queen’s Delight table water which is produced in the school by a private firm.

The firm started operation about two years ago, with an agreement to provide potable water for domestic use in the school. However, Ofordike said the water was being sold to outsiders without consideration for the pupils.

Henceforth, he said, the firm would provide the water for use in the dormitories, kitchen, clinic and dining areas.

A parent, who simply called himself Mr Zubby, blamed the pupils’ death on negligence.

He said: “It is a result of negligence. That is why we are here. Nobody is happy. I have two children here and I would not want anything to go wrong with them. After their inter-house sports, I took my daughters’ home. That night one of them fell really sick. When we conducted tests on them, they were both positive with high level of typhoid. So we started advising parents to do same, so many results from the parents were positive too. In fact one of us said her daughter’s was critical.

“I think there should be transparency; you do not expect any parent to start raising issue where there is none. Most times these children come back home and complain of one thing or the other and where the management is not able to say let us sit down and proffer solution it becomes a big issue.”

Another parent, Mr Timothy Babafemi, said: “We are not happy at all with the issue. There were rusted pipes that resulted in the contamination of the water. Though my daughter suffered from malaria as a result of bad windows, mosquitoes, but with the help of the PTA and other agencies, the deteriorated facilities in the school are being repaired”.