Members of Parliament led by the Leader of Opposition, Betty Aol Ochan have asked the Education Minister, First Lady Janet Museveni to resign her position after overall students lost their lives in a fire that gutted their dormitory at St. Bernard’s Secondary School in Rakai.
Ochan told Parliament on Tuesday that the ministry headed by Mrs Museveni had failed at implementing the set precautions and safety guidelines which has continued to cause avoidable deaths in boarding schools.
The new LoP added that besides the failure to implement safety guidelines, the ministry has also failed to investigate, later on, arrest the perpetrators of other previous school fires such as one at Budo Junior School that claimed 20 pupils.
“The minister, without the investigation reports of the past fires, she has no business in this house; she has to resign. How many fires have we had, start to count from 2008,” said Ochan queried.
In response, John Chrysostom Muyingo, the State Minister for Higher education, told the MPs that a joint effort between the ministry and the security forces has mounted investigations into the Rakai fire, and so far, eight suspects arrested.
The guidelines
Following the Buddo school fire, former Inspector General of Police, Gen. Kale Kayihura issued a set of guidelines for all schools. They included;
- a provision of fire extinguishers at all schools
- fire-fighting skills for all members of the school community, including the students.
- emergency exit doors and windows
- a specific number of students that should occupy a dormitory among others
Most schools in Uganda, however, continue to operate under the watch of authorities without even one of the above requirements.