Ashibogwu Urges School Heads To Allow DSPHDA Entrance Into Schools For Polio Vaccination

BY MAGNUS EMUJI

Delta State Commissioner for Primary Education, Dr. Kingsley Ashibogwu has called on public primary schools in the state to always allow officials of the State Primary Health Care Development Agency into the schools for polio vaccination of children.

Dr. Ashibogwu made the call in his office in Asaba when the officials of the Delta State Primary Health Care Development Agency (DSPHDA) paid him a courtesy visit.

The commissioner urged schools not to reject health officials from gaining access into school premises for immunization, adding that the State Ministry of Primary Education would partner with any agency that was ready to assist the state government in achieving good governance

Dr. Ashibogwu said that his Ministry would direct the Chief Inspectors of Education (CIEs) in the 25 Local Government Areas to ensure that public schools must not deny health officials of entrance into schools for the vaccination exercise.

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He said that parents should be enlightened on the importance of polio vaccination for their children, stressing that when there was awareness creation, parents would bring out their children to be vaccinated.

In his remarks, the Ministry Secretary in Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Augustine Oghoro enjoined the agency to embark on constant and effective advocacy to sensitise the public, especially the parents on the need for them to embrace the vaccination exercise.

Earlier, the representative of the Permanent Secretary of the agency, Dr. Maureen Sagay informed the commissioner that the agency would carry out oral polio vaccination to children from November 4 to 7, adding that they were always having challenges accessing schools for the vaccination of the children.

Dr. Sagay appealed to the commissioner to prevail on school heads through the CIEs to allow them enter school premises to administer vaccines on the children, emphasizing that the official were more rejected to vaccinate children more during the COVID-19 pandemic.