Salama School asks govt to demolish burnt dormitory
Forensic police officers in front of a burnt dormitory at Salama School for the Blind in Luga, Mukono. Eleven children perished in a blaze that tore through a dormitory at the school on October 25 as pupils were sleeping. PHOTO/Isaac Kasamani
What you need to know:
The dormitory was gutted by fire in October leaving 12 pupils dead and three others with serious injuries. 12 pupils managed to escape unhurt.
The administrators at Salama School for the Blind in Mukono District have asked the government to allow them to demolish the burnt dormitory such that they can replace it with a new one.
“The government should allow us to demolish the remaining burnt structure so that we can plan to put up another for pupils that will be reporting in February next year," Mr Lawrence Tumusiime, the Deputy Headteacher, said.
The dormitory was gutted by fire in October leaving 12 pupils dead and three others with serious injuries. 12 pupils managed to escape unhurt.
Since then, government authorities have bared the school administrators from demolishing the structure claiming that security is still carrying out investigations.
“The building is making pupils and staff keep recalling the incident which makes the uncomfortable since some of the burnt body parts are still in the building like skulls. We want to clear everything, collect all the skulls in one place and forget about the incident," Mr Tumusiime said on Thursday while receiving 20 devices of Orbit readers and other items from TATA and Sense International Uganda (SIU).
Mr Tumusiime asked well-wishers to help them in putting a new structure to accommodate 50 girls; and a sickbay, a vehicle, security, fences, CCTV cameras, solar lighting systems and fire extinguishers.
The team leader Auto sales at TATA Mr Jackson Mugabe said every year they identify one area and give some donations and therefore decided to support and condole with Salama School.
“We have decided to give them orbit readers which are faster, potable, and have a strong battery to help them easily read," he said.
Country director SIU, Mr Michael Sebuliba said they partnered with TATA and are expanding this technology to other schools of visually impaired children including secondary and tertiary institutions to ease the learning of students.
