In Dakar, Senegal, nine children were killed by a candle-induced fire at a Koranic school. 45 children were sleeping inside the school, which had wooden walls and zinc roofing, when the fire started. Fire engines could not extinguish the blaze in time because of the narrow streets and "ramshackle development of densely-populated residential areas".
Human rights groups have repeatedly warned about the poor conditions of Koranic schools. Teachers have been accused of abuse, and most of the students beg on the streets for food and money, which has to be taken back to their teachers. President Macky Sall, after visiting the fire, has promised to improve the condition of Koranic schools.
The deaths of these nine children are a tragedy. It is such a shame that emergency services could not reach the fire in time and save the children. But it is also terrible that 9 children had to die before the government decided it was time to fix the schools! Teachers should not be allowed to manipulate and abuse children like that. In addition, the roads and residential areas should be looked at. If the streets were easier to go through, then maybe the 9 lives could have been saved.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21664482
The poor families of these children! What an awful experience.
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for these families. They shouldn't have to go through that. I agree that we shouldn't have to wait for nine children to dies in order for some action to finally take place. The government knows what good schools are and what the atmosphere in them is like. They should want their schools to be superior to other school. I know if I was representing a country, then I would want to have the best education system possible, so that people in my country could prosper. I hope new teachers are hired soon because children should not go through that.
ReplyDelete