Neighbors and worried parents spent the better part of Sunday morning around the school, seeking information about the whereabouts of the students at Ikuu Girls after an inferno burnt down two dormitories at the institution.
Luckily, no injuries were reported, with the students having attending a church service when the incident occurred. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Fire fighters from the Chuka University Emergency Unit were the first to respond to the incident, with reports indicating that the truck was empty and could not remedy the situation.
In the wake of several fires in schools last year, Education CS George Magoha warned that school fire arsonists will face severe punishment, saying their actions will not only be updated in their profiles but also haunt them during and after school life.
“It looks mundane and juvenile for someone who is in high school to burn a dormitory. What has the building done to you? Let us not pretend that they are burning dormitories due to stress from Corona, that is not true,” fumed Magoha.
The CS also accused teachers and school heads of negligence, saying they should make good use of technology in combating the vice.
“My charge to you teachers is this: What is all this nonsense that students were in class and fire struck a dormitory yet you all have CCTV’s all over with a manned command center? It is stupid, it is primitive and must stop. We are not closing any school,” stated Magoha.
Prof Magoha said in a number of fire incidents reported across the country, teachers have been reporting that they do not know the causes of the fires yet they are tasked with the day-to-day running of the institutions.
“The role of the teachers is to enforce discipline and offer counselling to learners. Don’t allow learners to be more intelligent than you,” Magoha said during a meeting with education stakeholders.
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