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18 schools in Busoga listed for iron sheets to replace asbestos
Some of the buildings at Main street Primary School in Jinja City roofed with asbestos. PHOTO/TAUSI NAKATO
What you need to know:
- Early this year, Jinja City Education Officer, Mr Haruna Mulopa, said they currently have four primary schools in Jinja City with asbestos, adding that their existence was due to the financial constraints they are currently facing. He urged organisations to intervene and provide iron sheets to replace the asbestos.
At least 18 schools in Busoga Sub-region have been listed to receive iron sheets to replace asbestos courtesy of Jinja City-based MM Integrated Steel Mills Uganda Ltd.
The development comes after most traditional schools in the (Busoga) Sub-region are still stuck with condemned asbestos, which remains a health threat to learners due to their exposure to cancerous roofing, some of them dating back to the 1950s.
Some of the beneficiaries include; Main Street Primary School, Walukuba West Primary School, Zibondo Primary School, all in Jinja City, and MM College Wairaka in Jinja District, among others.
The head teacher of Zibondo Primary School in Kaliro District, Mr Alfred Mugomba, one of the school heads who sought support to get rid of asbestos, said they have been experiencing rampant sickness among learners after the use of water tapped from the buildings with asbestos.
“It has now come to our notice that asbestos is a health threat to the lives of humans as it makes them prone to cancer,” Mr Mugomba said on July 29.
He added: “It is quite unfortunate that the school cannot easily do away with this building block as it accommodates two classes and all the school administration offices.”
The Director of St Florence Nursery and Primary School in Jinja City, Ms Florence Wepukhulu, said she has already received 21 iron sheets from MM Integrated Steel Uganda Ltd, and appealed to other organisations to follow suit.
MM Integrated Steel Uganda Ltd Public Relations Officer, Mr Hassan Latifu, said 18 different schools have approached them for iron sheets through the district and education offices, and they have heeded to their call by donating so far to 18 schools.
“We have noticed that the quality of roofing of some classrooms is not conducive for our children. We want to ensure that they are under proper roofs because they spend much of their time in classrooms,” Mr Latifu said.
He added that they have launched a programme dubbed “No Asbestos” with some schools as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
Early this year, Jinja City Education Officer, Mr Haruna Mulopa, said they currently have four primary schools in Jinja City with asbestos, adding that their existence was due to the financial constraints they are currently facing. He urged organisations to intervene and provide iron sheets to replace the asbestos.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), exposure to asbestos causes different types of cancers, especially of the lung, larynx, ovaries and mesothelioma, while the International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that about 100,000 workers die every year from asbestos-related diseases.
