How safe is your child at school?

Incidents in neighbouring countries like Uganda might seem too far in proximity, but there is no denying that they can be good lessons to force stakeholders in education sector to consider boosting safety of students, especially in fire fighting cases, writes Evaline NamuwayaJoseph Habineza dropped off his son at school last month for second term studies. But barely two days after he received a distress call to go and pick his child.He rushed to school only to find more than 400 students, including his son, stranded after their dormitory was destroyed in an inferno. The fire started shortly after students had started their morning lessons. No student was hurt in the fire, but property worth millions of francs was destroyed. The Ecole de Sciences de Byimana fire incident, last month, confirms the growing fears about the safety of students in schools. Although Rwanda has not had disastrous safety issues, the country is not taking any chances, considering that some schools in neighbouring countries have witnessed disastrous incidents, some with tragic ends. On the night of April 14, 2008, fire at Buddo Junior School in Uganda killed 19 schoolgirls. There were 61 pupils in a dormitory, all of them girls and mostly in Primary Four. On June 8, 2012, a Senior One student of Green Hill Academy (Uganda) died in a swimming pool. Malong Muong, a 15-year- old, died after hitting his head on the floor of the pool’s shallow end at the school’s swimming pool. In another heart breaking case, Sunshine Baraza a three-year-old, drowned in a swimming pool at her school in Kampala, Uganda. Although these unfortunate incidents happened across the border, the fact is that they point to the need for various stakeholders in Rwanda to think more about the safety of school going children. Rwandan schools today are more crowded than they were a decade ago, making them prone to disasters. What schools are doingIn light of many safety challenges, some schools have moved to take preventive measures. Rivera High School in Gasabo District, is one of those with comprehensive measures in place to ensure the safety of students. According to Pam Connell, the deputy principal in charge of students’ welfare, the school has a swimming instructor. “We have a full time pool instructor employed at the school and there are set times when students are permitted to swim. Even staff members are not allowed in the pool without the pool instructor’s presence,” Connell said.She added that the premise is fenced off to prevent unauthorised access to the swimming pool. “No access is permitted unless the swimming pool instructor is available. We also have security guards who patrol the grounds,” said Connell. Fire outbreak preventionConnell said when it comes to preventing fire outbreaks; there is a fire safety plan and external checkpoints allocated. Students are taken through mock fire drills to prepare them for the real emergency. Fire extinguishers are installed in all science labs. Sam Nkurunziza, the head teacher of Kagarama Secondary School, said since the school experienced fire breakout in 2010, measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of the students. “We were lucky that it happened during holidays and no student was injured but of course the property was gutted, so now we have fixed fire extinguishers, put emergency exits on each dormitory,” he said.“We always have a guard at the gate and the school is secured with a fence, there are specific days for visitation and whoever comes to visit leaves their identification at the gate, the gate man then issues them with the visitors’ cards.”Brian Kasawuli, the head teacher of Alpha Community School, said they have plans to have fire extinguishers in the school. “We have not installed the extinguishers yet, but since it is a day school most students leave school at 3:30pm so they somehow safe. For security every parent is issued with a card, when they are come to pick their children they show it to the security guard for clearance,” he said.Regulations on school safetyThe Education Ministry’s “Child Friendly Schools Infrastructure Standards and Guidelines,” primary and Ordinary Level schools 2009, contains some guidelines of how schools can ensure safety of the children. In case of fire outbreaks between blocks or between rooms, the schools should ensure that there is an escape route out of the building and an outward opening door of the dormitory. There should also be special precaution in kitchens which are usually the source of fire.“Safety and security is an issue which must be considered in conjunction with requirements for greater community access. Security is as much about creating a feeling of a secure, organised, safe environment. It is about the specifics of surveillance and supervision of access and protection against risks,” the guidelines state in part. When it comes to general security, strangers should not enter the school without permission. There should be clearly defined site boundaries, using appropriate fencing and/or planting of hedges. ----------------------------How should Authorities handle safety in schools?Charles Hagumakubaho, airtime vendor. ‘You have to know the source of the problem. The school needs to do a timely check on the electric installations; the old connections and do repairs where they are needed. Most schools don’t care about this and it turns out to be a problem.’ Lucy Kwibuka, waitress. ‘Safety should be a joint effort from students and teachers. Students should be taught what to do in case of an emergency, and teachers should be vigilant and watch over their students.’ Jean Marie Kundimana, graduate. ‘Usable and effective equipment need to be set up in schools for example fire extinguishers. These can easily be used to put out a fire.’ Jean C. Muhire, shopkeeper. ‘Schools have a lot to do as they are guardians of students at school. Emergency drills should be held on how to protect oneself in case of an emergency and teachers should actively participate.’ Peace Munezero, parent. ‘Schools shouldn’t just concentrate on teaching. Our children’s safety is also paramount. They should monitor children, especially during activities like swimming.’ School safety checklist every school must have:> Do you have any holes in the compound or trenches that are not covered?> Do you have lightning conductors?> Are there any hanging loose electrical connections?> Is the facility water reservoir guarded or secured that it is not easily accessible by unauthorised person?> Are the dormitory doors too strong that at emergency escape, they are difficult to break for safety?> Do you have fire fighting aids like extinguishers and sand near the buildings?> Do you have first aid kits in the classes and do teachers know how to administer first aid?> Do you have a student’s dispensary with breathing aid facilities that can be applied as an ambulance comes?> How safe and monitored and gazetted is the swimming pool? Do you have a full-time worker on the pool even if there are no activities on it?> How well have the storeyed building stair case and barriers done? Are the barriers spaces large enough for a kid to fall through?> How wide are the toilet holes? Is there a guide to help the underage with toilet etiquette?> What is the state of the toilet as regards cracks and how safe are the toilet boundaries? Does the toilet show any signs of falling in? How regular is the toilet maintained and inspected?> What is the state of the building walls are they cracked?> Do you have a fed back concern box and a safety management team that brainstorms about different problems and prepares before hand?> Do you have a safety code dos and don’ts and is every one aware of them?> Are all lab chemicals marked and gazetted?> Are the compound dogs vaccinated?> Is the kitchen staff observing hygiene and they undergo regular medical check up for contagious diseases such as tuber culosis?> Are your school pick and drop vans in good condition with sober responsible drivers?Source: Richard Kiyimba,Safety expert based in Kampala, Uganda. efforts:Police in fire fighting skills campaign The Fire and Rescue brigade at Rwanda National Police has extended the skills to children because they can also play a significant role in prevention of fire not only in their schools but even in their homesteads.Emphasis on raising awareness campaigns among children is to ensure that in the future, fire fighting should be a responsibility of every Rwandan and indeed a culture in the country.