Congo/ Fight against insalubrity: the first Saturday in October dedicated to sanitation in schools

The tradition of dedicating the first Saturday of the month to sanitation in the country's major cities was respected on October 4 in Brazzaville, where Minister Juste Désiré Mondélé and his two colleagues in charge of education cleaned up three schools.

Accompanied by Jean-Luc Mouthou and Ghislain Thierry Maguessa Ebomé, respectively Minister of Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education and Literacy, and Minister of Technical and Vocational Education, the Minister of Urban Sanitation, Local Development and Road Maintenance began his mission at the complexe scolaire de la Révolution, before moving on to the Lycée technique 5-février 1979, in Mpila, in Brazzaville's 5th arrondissement.Assainissement urbain, du Développement local et de l'Entretien routier began his mission at the complexe scolaire de la Révolution, before moving on to the lycée technique 5-février 1979, in Mpila, in Brazzaville's^5th arrondissement, Ouenzé. On site, the three members of the government joined forces with non-governmental organizations, other partners and well-wishers to clean up the areas they visited.

"We received this school complex from the President of the Republic, Denis Sassou N'Guesso, but it's up to us to maintain the whole area. So the government had obviously taken the initiative, on the first Saturday of every month, for us to put our hands to the task of maintaining public spaces.Well, we're out in the field to show that we respect this initiative, but above all that we must preserve the heritage so graciously bequeathed to us by the President of the Republic", declared Minister Jean-Luc Mouthou at the Lycée de la Révolution.

After visiting these two upper secondary schools, the delegation moved on to the 5-Février 1979 elementary school in Mikalou, in the ^9th arrondissement of Djiri.A school that has become a shadow of its former self. The school has undoubtedly attracted the government's attention in view of its advanced state of disrepair. In addition to nature vying with man for control of the site, some buildings are gradually being swallowed up by the earth, while others are collapsing under the weight of old age and lack of maintenance. The Tsiémé River has already flooded part of the site, transforming it into a veritable vegetable belt. There's also a savannah and a garbage can. Access via the main avenue has become impossible in the rainy season and difficult in the dry season.

Regular school sanitation

It was against this sad backdrop that the sanitation operation took place at this school, which also accommodates pupils from Emeraude elementary school, which disappeared from the Brazzaville school map several years ago. Marcel Ngnelibolo, head of district 901, Mikalou-Madzouna, was delighted to welcome the ministerial delegation. "For me, it's not surprising, it's a happy coincidence, because on Saturday, I had asked the heads of the zones and blocks to come and maintain the school. We do this every year. The new buildings you see here were built by the Minister of Primary Education, who had made a commitment with the Member of Parliament for the first electoral district of Djiri to complete the essentials before the start of the new school year, pending completion of the major works. Better late than never, the essentials have been done by the government, and we're in the process of making the playground very clean today, because cleanliness drives away disease", he explained.

Unveiling the plaque prohibiting the dumping of garbage in the courtyard of 5-Février elementary school, Minister Juste Désiré Mondélé welcomed the fact that the first Saturday of the month coincided with the first weekend of the new school year. "We've come together today to lead by example, because we need to maintain these schools, whose population is clamoring for buildings and new schools. And rightly so, but they need to be maintained. We wanted to convey the message of a clean, healthy school, but also to encourage teachers and learners. It's a fine ecological gesture, a civic gesture, a republican gesture. Today's message is that our schools must be clean, and we're doing it today, but learners must do it every day", advised the Minister of Urban Sanitation, Local Development and Road Maintenance.

Source: www.adiac-congo.com/