Pupils at Jayapura (Jubi)
Jayapura, Jubi – Many parents expressed their concerns about school buildings’ safety.
Mama Fina, a mother whose son was in elementary school in Abepura district, said she was worried about the safety of her children in the event of an earthquake or a fire.
“The schools have two and three floors where my kids are. There’s only one stairways for the kids going up and down to the classroom. The stairway on the third floor is wide enough, but on the second floor is only about one meter. Children often get in a stampede at the stairs,” she told Jubi, Saturday (8/11).
So far there has been no serious incident at the school. “But we never know in the future. It is fine to build more than two floors but kids safety must be considered, ” she added.
Another parent, Agustinus, whose son is in elementary school in Jayapura city also complained. He ever phoned unknown person who reported her son fell from the second floor of the school building and treated in the hospital.
“We went straight to hospital but none of the patients on behalf of my child” he told.
Interestingly, it was a fraud mode. “If we are not careful and trusted people, our money might be stolen because usually we would be asked to transfer some money to someone’s account number,” he explained.
Based on Jubi’s observation, there are a lot of elementary schools built without considering the safety factor. Department of Education as an institution that has the authority should start paying attention to this issue. (Dewi Jarot/ Tina)
