The Anambra State Government has ordered the immediate closure of Blessed Wisdom Model School, Onitsha, over the inhumane flogging of a two-year-old pupil.
The State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, on Saturday, said the two-year-old pupil, Ifechukwu Egbuninwe sustained grievous bodily harm, following the flogging incident.
Chuma-Udeh said: “According to the report, the victim broke her arm and sustained injuries on her tongue under circumstance yet to be explained.
“The report also stated that the proprietress of the school never reached out to the parents of the pupil to inform them of her injuries and no first aid treatment was administered on her when she sustained the said injury.
“The proprietress failed to reach out at any point to the family of the pupil to ascertain her welfare. They just carried on with their school business as if the life of the pupil meant nothing”.
The Commissioner condemned the attitude of the management of Blessed Wisdom Model School to human life and the act of disobedience by the proprietress who did not honour her invitation.
“Every child belongs to the State, we cannot condone neglect to human life. This is why, on Friday, we invited the proprietress to come and explain what happened”, Chuma-Udeh stated.
She further disclosed that the child, her parents and their lawyer were present but the Proprietress blatantly refused to appear, which led to the decision of closing the school down.
The Commissioner said that officers of the Anambra State Joint Enforcement Team have been directed to ensure strict compliance with the closure order. Adding that the school remains closed until the Governor, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, directs otherwise.
Meanwhile, Chuma-Udeh has set up a seven-man committee to investigate the matter while advising the Proprietress to endeavour to appear before the Committee.
She stated that failure to appear before the committee would attract arrest and prosecution.
