SCHOOL COLLAPSE: NAPTAN CALLS FOR SANCTION AGAINST CULPRITS

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The National Parents-Teacher Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) has called for tough measures against culprits of school building collapse.

The President of NAPTAN, Haruna Danjuma, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, on the heels of the school building collapse that occurred in Jos Metropolis on Friday.

Danjuma expressed shock over the incident that led to the deaths of innocent children writing their examinations.

“It is very sad that the building got such a number of students sitting for examinations; it’s a big loss.

“I begin to wonder how some of these proprietors are running their schools. Some of them use substandard materials to build their classrooms.

“The government, ministry of education, and relevant government agencies must take very serious action on this,” he said.

Danjuma also expressed concerns, on how the proprietors of the schools get approval for the construction of the buildings without due diligence.

“I also wonder how the relevant agencies gave them approval.

“In fact, before approval is given to any school proprietor, the authorities concerned ought to have put measures in place for standards,” he said.

Danjuma underscored the need for government agencies to get involved in the construction of any learning facilities, be it public or private schools.

Speaking on ways to strengthen laws to prevent incidences of building collapse, particularly in public buildings like schools, he said the laws had already been established.

He charged regulatory authorities such as the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to live up to their mandate and make use of the established laws to regulate school owners.

“The laws are already there for every school that are constructing classes. We have the department in every section of education.

“For example, for any project or classroom constructed by UBEC, they have their professionals in the department who monitor the construction to make sure that things are done properly.

“So also at state level, we have SUBEB, which looks after all these kinds of projects.

“For private schools, the ministry of education must regulate them and ensure proper things are done,” he said.

He called on all agencies in charge of giving approval for the establishment of schools to rise up to the task.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a two-story school building at the Little Saints Academy, Busa-Buji, Jos Metropolis, collapsed during classes on Friday, July 12, 2024.

The tragic incident resulted in the deaths of over 20 students, with many more sustaining varying degrees of injuries. (NAN)