How safe are Uganda schools from fires?
Apr 22, 2008
DEAR President Yoweri Museveni, The tragic loss of at least 20 young lives in the fire that razed a dormitory at Budo Junior School last Monday, calls for a public inquiry. Not only do the parents currently mourning the loss of loved children, but all of Uganda demand to know the state of fire-safe
PERSPECTIVE OF A UGANDAN IN CANADA
Opiyo Oloya
DEAR President Yoweri Museveni, The tragic loss of at least 20 young lives in the fire that razed a dormitory at Budo Junior School last Monday, calls for a public inquiry. Not only do the parents currently mourning the loss of loved children, but all of Uganda demand to know the state of fire-safety preparedness in Uganda schools.
The main question that must be answered by such a public inquiry is, “How safe are Uganda schools, day and boarding, private and public, from the threat of accidental and arson fires?â€
Fires in Uganda schools cannot be written off as cases of bad luck or being at the right place at the wrong time. The records indicate that fire has become the biggest threat to the safety to all students in primary and secondary schools in the country.
In the last five years alone, there have been at least 33 fires in Uganda schools that have taken lives as well as destroyed property worth billions of shillings. For instance, on March, 30, 2006 as many as 13 pupils at Kabarole Islamic Primary School in Fort Portal died when fire destroyed their dormitory.
Barely three months later, on July 31, 2006, half a dozen students were burned to death and scores suffered serious burns at Jinja Army Primary Boarding School when their dormitory caught fire. The 270 student residents of in the destroyed dormitory lost all their belongings.
This past weekend, even before the last victim of the Budo fire is laid to rest, fire gutted a girls’ dormitory at Soroti Core Primary Teachers’ College. Thankfully, there was no loss of lives, but some teacher candidates lost property worth millions of shillings.
Mr. President, it should be a legal requirement for every school building in Uganda, however simply constructed, to maintain certain basic fire preparedness. This is especially crucial since fire fighting equipment is abysmally lacking outside the city of Kampala.
Every school needs to think “fire prevention†as well as fire evacuation plans in the event fire does break out. For instance, it should be a requirement in the building code for all schools to provide fire exits in the classrooms and in the dormitories.
This means creating doorways specifically for use as fire-escape in the event of fire. I am not familiar with the buildings in Budo Junior School, but I am willing to guess that there were no fire escape doors. And if there were fire escape doors, they were likely locked with padlocks rendering them useless for children to escape the fire. Those children did not have a chance even assuming that there were watchful adults nearby.
Secondly, it must be mandatory that every dormitory in Uganda boarding schools be equipped with cheap but effective battery-operated smoke detectors that can quickly and effectively give advance alarms to warn sleeping pupils of a possible fire. For the cost of one government luxury car, the government should be able to buy enough smoke detectors to equip almost all school dormitories in Uganda.
I recommend that the government move immediately to procure smoke alarms for every school dormitory in the country. There are many types of smoke alarms going for various costs. For Uganda, where electricity is uncertain, a simple device such as First Alert SA340 Smoke Alarm with 10-Year sealed lithium battery can provide ample warning needed to evacuate a burning school building.
The lithium power cell is encased in a tamper-resistant case, and once it is installed, it can’t be removed. At $25 dollars a unit, the government can procure as many as 5000 units for a mere $125,000. Now, how can you, as president, explain to grieving parents that Uganda cannot afford smoke alarms that cost only so much money?
Mr. President, legislation must be tabled that will require every school, private and public, in Uganda to hold a fire evacuation drill twice a month. Such drills will include how students will leave any building when there is fire, as well as how school authorities will act in the event of fire.
According to some reports, the Budo Junior School fire was especially lethal because guards locked the gates. If true, it means that the school was simply unprepared for a fire break-out.
Now, I know that the immediate tendency is to find scapegoats, people we can send to jail for failing to do this or that. Yet, to simply focus on fault-finding, the larger question of fire safety will remain unanswered. To any lay person, the answer to future schools fires, and safety for all students is in looking at what is wrong with Uganda schools fire preparedness now and coming up with viable solutions.
By acting swiftly, you will have demonstrated that the government has taken responsibility for this fire and is working toward providing safety to all students in private and public schools in the country.
Putting the matron Ms. Damalie Basirika and the guards of Budo Junior School on trial will divert from the real problem—lack of properly coordinated fire plan in all Uganda schools.
This is something that only the government through the Ministry of Education can change through proactive action. Sending Ms. Basirika and the hapless guards to jail will not.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca
Opiyo Oloya
DEAR President Yoweri Museveni, The tragic loss of at least 20 young lives in the fire that razed a dormitory at Budo Junior School last Monday, calls for a public inquiry. Not only do the parents currently mourning the loss of loved children, but all of Uganda demand to know the state of fire-safety preparedness in Uganda schools.
The main question that must be answered by such a public inquiry is, “How safe are Uganda schools, day and boarding, private and public, from the threat of accidental and arson fires?â€
Fires in Uganda schools cannot be written off as cases of bad luck or being at the right place at the wrong time. The records indicate that fire has become the biggest threat to the safety to all students in primary and secondary schools in the country.
In the last five years alone, there have been at least 33 fires in Uganda schools that have taken lives as well as destroyed property worth billions of shillings. For instance, on March, 30, 2006 as many as 13 pupils at Kabarole Islamic Primary School in Fort Portal died when fire destroyed their dormitory.
Barely three months later, on July 31, 2006, half a dozen students were burned to death and scores suffered serious burns at Jinja Army Primary Boarding School when their dormitory caught fire. The 270 student residents of in the destroyed dormitory lost all their belongings.
This past weekend, even before the last victim of the Budo fire is laid to rest, fire gutted a girls’ dormitory at Soroti Core Primary Teachers’ College. Thankfully, there was no loss of lives, but some teacher candidates lost property worth millions of shillings.
Mr. President, it should be a legal requirement for every school building in Uganda, however simply constructed, to maintain certain basic fire preparedness. This is especially crucial since fire fighting equipment is abysmally lacking outside the city of Kampala.
Every school needs to think “fire prevention†as well as fire evacuation plans in the event fire does break out. For instance, it should be a requirement in the building code for all schools to provide fire exits in the classrooms and in the dormitories.
This means creating doorways specifically for use as fire-escape in the event of fire. I am not familiar with the buildings in Budo Junior School, but I am willing to guess that there were no fire escape doors. And if there were fire escape doors, they were likely locked with padlocks rendering them useless for children to escape the fire. Those children did not have a chance even assuming that there were watchful adults nearby.
Secondly, it must be mandatory that every dormitory in Uganda boarding schools be equipped with cheap but effective battery-operated smoke detectors that can quickly and effectively give advance alarms to warn sleeping pupils of a possible fire. For the cost of one government luxury car, the government should be able to buy enough smoke detectors to equip almost all school dormitories in Uganda.
I recommend that the government move immediately to procure smoke alarms for every school dormitory in the country. There are many types of smoke alarms going for various costs. For Uganda, where electricity is uncertain, a simple device such as First Alert SA340 Smoke Alarm with 10-Year sealed lithium battery can provide ample warning needed to evacuate a burning school building.
The lithium power cell is encased in a tamper-resistant case, and once it is installed, it can’t be removed. At $25 dollars a unit, the government can procure as many as 5000 units for a mere $125,000. Now, how can you, as president, explain to grieving parents that Uganda cannot afford smoke alarms that cost only so much money?
Mr. President, legislation must be tabled that will require every school, private and public, in Uganda to hold a fire evacuation drill twice a month. Such drills will include how students will leave any building when there is fire, as well as how school authorities will act in the event of fire.
According to some reports, the Budo Junior School fire was especially lethal because guards locked the gates. If true, it means that the school was simply unprepared for a fire break-out.
Now, I know that the immediate tendency is to find scapegoats, people we can send to jail for failing to do this or that. Yet, to simply focus on fault-finding, the larger question of fire safety will remain unanswered. To any lay person, the answer to future schools fires, and safety for all students is in looking at what is wrong with Uganda schools fire preparedness now and coming up with viable solutions.
By acting swiftly, you will have demonstrated that the government has taken responsibility for this fire and is working toward providing safety to all students in private and public schools in the country.
Putting the matron Ms. Damalie Basirika and the guards of Budo Junior School on trial will divert from the real problem—lack of properly coordinated fire plan in all Uganda schools.
This is something that only the government through the Ministry of Education can change through proactive action. Sending Ms. Basirika and the hapless guards to jail will not.
Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca