Dilapidated building: Playgroup students have a narrow escape at school

MULTAN:

The children of a Punjab Education Foundation private school escaped largely unhurt when a dilapidated roof caved in near Mohallah Sharifpura in Multan on Monday. 

Assistant Education Officer Abdul Ghaffar said some children had gotten cuts and bruises and had been provided first aid at a clinic nearby.

Talha Cadet School vice principal Sidra told APP that a playgroup class teacher had heard crumbling sounds from the roof and had called other teachers to help her evacuate students.

She said the children were evacuated before the roof collapsed. Rescue 1122 and police also visited the school, she said.

Ghaffar said it was a 40-year-old building. He said the building had been used as a carpet weaving factory before the school was opened here.

Elementary Education District Officer Ramazan Anjum said the school had been registered with Education Department in 2001 and school building had been issued a fitness certificate then.

When asked as to how many times the school was visited by officials to evaluate its condition, he said that there were 1,400 government public and 1,300 private school in Multan.

He said due to shortage of staff all schools could not be covered.

He said the school would not be allowed to open until it met the safety criteria laid out by the government.

PEF Managing Director Anila Salman took notice of the roof collapse and formed a two-member committee to probe the matter and submit a report within three days. A PEF spokesman said students at PEF-partner were completely safe. He said a PEF team had reached the school to prepare an initial report.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2015.