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Busia school fire: Families of victims get Shs5m each
A policeman walks through burnt beds and metallic boxes at Victory Nursery and Primary School, whose boys’ dormitory was gutted by fire on Monday morning, killing four pupils. PHOTO/DAVID AWORI
What you need to know:
- The state minister for primary Education, Ms Joyce Kaducu, threatened to close all schools that have failed to meet the minimum required standards set by the ministry.
The government through the ministry of education and sports has given Shs5 million to each of the families that lost a child in the fire that burnt a school dormitory in Busia District, eastern Uganda to help with burial expenses.
The pupil who survived with severe burns as fire tore through the walls of Victory Nursery and Primary School, was given Shs1 million to cater for hospital bills.
While addressing journalists during the education exhibition organized by Education ministry at Kololo independence grounds on Wednesday, Ms Frances Atima, the Ministry's director education standards, said Shs21 million was released as condolence to the families of the victims to support the burial, and so far one family has received the money.
“We shall also give others later after getting results from the hospital because some of the children were burnt beyond recognition. So, there was a need to conduct a DNA test on their parents to ascertain the bodies of their children," she said.
Ms Atima also revealed that during their inspection the school they found out that the school was not authorized to run a boarding section and that most dormitories were overpopulated.
“The conditions therein were really not good with poor ventilation, triple deckers, poor sanitation, among others and this particular dormitory had only one exit door,” she said.
According to her, one of the matrons deployed in the dormitories had never gone to any school for formal education.
“So, we agreed with the district leadership to have the dormitories closed because they were illegal and then probably allow them to operate as only a day school after other considerations are made," Ms Atima said.
The state minister for primary Education, Ms Joyce Kaducu, threatened to close all schools that have failed to meet the minimum required standards set by the ministry.
“The school that does not meet the minimum standard, not even having any provisional registration must be closed. We cannot continue to lose the lives of our children because schools cannot meet the bare minimum requirement. Especially boarding schools,” Ms Kaducu said.
