Govt blames school fires on poor funding

The Ministry of Education has attributed the continued school fires to lack of inspection and persistent underfunding.

Ms Ketty Lamaro, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, told this newspaper last evening that the budget that they are allocated can only inspect one school for a term in four years, thus so many of the measures are flouted unabated.

“We have always encouraged the school heads to follow the measures that we set in 2008 but we can’t go to inspect every school with a budget that keeps dwindling every year. But the fires are caused by issues beyond our control, like land wrangles, competition, poor infrastructures and wiring,” Ms Lamaro said.

Ms Lamaro was responding to the various schools’ stakeholders within the education system who criticised the measures put in place by the government, which they say have not been followed up. 
The stakeholders say the sanctions for those found contravening the guidelines are not “biting”.

The death of pupils of Salama School of the Deaf and Blind in Mukono District yesterday morning evoked memories of the April 2008 inferno of Buddo Primary School.

The fire that claimed the lives of 20 children shook the country as the government moved to put in place measures for schools to follow to control such unfortunate incidents.

The guidelines that were set at the time dictate that schools must have fire extinguishers on all buildings at every 10sq metres, wardens and staff should be given safety training, and schools should have an obstacle-free emergency exit and escape routes.

The government also indicated that all schools must have perimeter walls, remove burglar proof from windows, as well as avoid congestion within dormitories to avoid more deaths in case of a stampede.   
Early this year, a Daily Monitor mini-survey revealed that most of the schools had flouted the measures.

Mr Filbert Baguma, the Uganda National Teachers Union (Unatu) secretary general, said: “It is one thing to put the measures in place and another following them up. It is a mandate of the ministries of Education and that of Local Government to ensure the measures are followed but there is nothing like that and yet innocent lives are being lost.”

Mr Hasadu Musenero, the chairperson of private schools in Uganda, said the authorities have not done their part.

“Let us take a look at the past incidents, where are the police investigations reports?” he asked. 

He added: “Most of the investigations are never concluded, once people forget, they [police] get off the case. This is why the incidents are going to continue,” Mr Musenero said.

Police have already recorded 19 school fire incidents this year, including the Salama School incident.

Some of the past incidents 

April 2008: Fire gutted a dormitory at Buddo Primary School, killing 20 pupils. 

January 2022: Four children were killed in a fire that broke out in one of the dormitories at New Crest Junior at Kibedi Day and Boarding Primary School in Kawempe Division, Kampala City. 

February 2022: A 12-year-old pupil died in a fire that gutted the dormitory of Good Times Primary School in Kawaala in Kampala.

March 2022: St Joseph Senior Secondary-Nakanyonyi in Jinja was closed after a 14-year-old pupil died in a fire that gutted one of the dormitories.

March 2022: Students of St Joseph’s College, Ombaci in Arua District, allegedly attempted to burn the school following a misunderstanding with the administration.

February 21: Fire gutted a dormitory at St Jude Primary School in Nakasongola District, claiming the life of a Primary One pupil. Seven others were injured. 

2016: Fifteen pupils of Arua Public Primary School sustained injuries in a stampede following a fire outbreak at their school.
Incidents in 2019

March 20: Fire gutted a boys’ dormitory at St James Secondary School in Mubende District, destroying property worth millions of shillings.

July 25: Students of Namirembe Hillside High School in Kitetika, Wakiso District, were left in shock after fire gutted one of their dormitories, destroying property worth millions of shillings.

September 18: A dormitory at Happy Times Secondary School Masajja in Wakiso District, was gutted by fire, which destroyed pupils’ property.

September 21: Fire gutted a dormitory at Kyotera Infant and Primary School. The fire started at the door of the boys’ dormitory and quickly spread to the rest of the facility. Students’ belongings worth millions were destroyed.