Lagos conducts school building integrity tests ahead of resumption | EduCeleb
EduCeleb
23rd June 2020
As students and teachers await the possible reopening of schools after more than three months of sudden closure over spread of coronavirus to the country, Lagos State Government has begun to subject public school structures to a non-destructive test ahead resumption.
The test on public-school infrastructures was to prevent the possibility of collapsed buildings and ensure safety of pupils, students and staff within the school premises.
At flag off of non-destructive test exercise, General Manager, Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory (LSMTL), Dr. Abiodun Afolabi, said that 25 selected primary and secondary schools have been penciled down for the first phase of the exercise across the state.
Afolabi stated that the exercise would be extended to other public schools in the state to prevent loss of lives and property and that structures subjected to Integrity Test would be certified habitable if results proved it and otherwise if not.
While recalling that a similar exercise was conducted on state government buildings in 2019, the general manager said the exercise was another significant effort aimed at affirming the Babajide Sanwo-Olu led administration’s commitment to reform the Education and Environment sectors in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda.
“We are flagging off the commencement of this exercise, which will be carried out in phases. The first phase includes the conduct of non-destructive test on 25 selected Primary and Secondary Schools across the State and will last for two weeks,” he said.
Explaining that the non-destructive tests conducted by the agency were diagnostic in nature and will reveal any structural defects in the school buildings, the General Manager disclosed that similar exercise had been extended to private schools, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, with over 50 educational institutions in Ikeja subjecting their buildings to the test.
He maintained that Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory is well equipped to carry out various quality assurance tests including soil, water, concrete, non-destructive, Geoscience etc.
While advising residents to subject their buildings to requisite tests, the General Manager maintained that the process will go a long way in reducing the loss of lives and property resulting from building and civil engineering infrastructure defects.