By Obiageli Nwankwo
The Anambra State Ministry of Education has expressed readiness to collaborate with Dobe Anambra Ocha Initiative on promoting proper waste disposal and environmental hygiene in schools.
The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Ekene Ogugua, gave the assurance on Oct. 26 when the initiative’s Team Leader and Convener, Mr. Ernest Okafor, led members of the organisation on a courtesy visit to his office at the State Secretariat Complex, Awka.
Ogugua said school based sensitisation would help instil responsible sanitation habits in pupils and students from an early age.
He noted that improper waste disposal could contribute to flooding and erosion, particularly when refuse blocked drainage channels.
The commissioner pledged the ministry’s support for awareness programmes to educate students on environmental hygiene, proper waste disposal and personal responsibility.
The proposed collaboration would involve sensitisation campaigns in schools, with emphasis on keeping school premises clean, sorting and disposing of waste properly, and discouraging the dumping of refuse in drainage channels.
Students would also be encouraged to extend these practices to their homes and communities.
Earlier, Okafor said the visit was to introduce the initiative to the commissioner and seek the ministry’s support in promoting environmental health and hygiene among young people across the state.
He said the organisation pursued its objectives through public education, school based sensitisation and community engagement, adding that collaboration with the ministry would help extend its message to more schools.
Okafor thanked the commissioner for receiving the team and expressed optimism that the proposed collaboration would strengthen environmental awareness among young people.
Obiageli Nwankwo is of the Ministry of Information and Value Reformation, Anambra State
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