Anambra shuts school after two-year-old sustains injury

The Anambra State Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ngozi Chuma-Udeh said Blessed Wisdom Model Nursery and Primary School, Onitsha, was temporarily shut down for failing to explain what happened to a two-year-old pupil of the school, Ifechukwu Egbuniwe.

Some weeks back, Egbuniwe reportedly sustained bodily injuries at the school in a process that could not be explained by the school authorities, a situation that attracted the attention of the state government after the incident went viral.

As a result, the state government, through the commissioner, announced the shutting down of the school, while a committee of Inquiry was constituted to investigate the case of ‘grievous bodily harm, catastrophic and devastating injury’ on Egbuniwe.

Chuma-Udeh, who spoke to journalists in Awka, on Thursday, disclosed that in spite of the development, the state government was dragged to court by the proprietor through the State House of Assembly where demanding the re-opening of the school.

She pointed out that the ministry acted on a petition to the state government, lamenting, however, that the school management remained recalcitrant, even though the state only interceded between the school and the aggrieved parents.

She said, “The incident happened to a little child and as a matter of policy every child belongs to the state government be it private or public schools.

“That you are running a private school doesn’t mean that you are not under the control of the state government and specifically the Ministry of Education.

“We got an apology letter from the school through the state House of Assembly and another letter from a law firm asking us to reopen the school with immediate effect and things are not done that way.”

She further noted that the school would be temporarily closed down until it reconciles with the parents of the child and offset the medical bills of the injured child.

The Proprietress of the school, Mrs Nkamigbo Ifeyinwa, in her reaction, tendered an apology to the ministry, explaining that the initial letter from a lawyer did not emanate from the school authorities.