The beautiful flames that burns and enable us cook and satisfy our stomachs turned ugly and tragically terminated the dreams of young souls eager to get education and in the future, to become their family’s pillars.
The painful cries, devastation, despair, confusion and silence following the fire tragedy that engulfed Hillside Endarasha Academy in Kieni, Nyeri County, leaving 21 students dead, 17 missing, with several injured and some in critical condition.
Despite the government intervention and various statements by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua on the 17 children missing, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura assures parents and Kenyans that the government is handling the situation.
The delayed details of the missing children who have remained unaccounted for and the long-awaited DNA tests have triggered more pain to the already devastated parents; many questions linger in the minds of Kenyans on how the situation has been handled, citing sluggish move and inadequacy by the government and school administration.
What caused the inferno that silenced the young souls? Were the safety measures fully implemented at Hillside Endarasha Academy? Even if the safety measures were in place and fully executed, can a 9-year-old child be in a position to handle any sort of emergency? Where were the caregivers, caretakers, or matrons in such a scenario? What exactly is a 9-year-old child doing in a boarding school?
According to Soud Tengah, a Consultant clinical psychologist at Mental Health Innovations and Research (MEHIR), “Children below the age of 12 need not be in boarding school,” Instead, they need to be with their parents during this age as they undergo social and cognitive development.
Developmental psychologist have for long advised that children at the early years of school going age need to be close to their parents to receive consistent, constructive feedback, encouragement, and compassionate support. This is not only significant for their cognitive, social and emotional growth but also for the development of other aspects such as language and movement.
“The reports we received from Thursday, September 5, 2024, show that those who died are of an average age of nine. Whether there are safety measures in schools or not, children of such age bracket may not properly make quick judgement calls, especially during emergencies, but will only helplessly cry,” Tengah commented during an interview with Jambo News Network.
“To make matters worse, some boarding schools place these children on three-decker beds, further aggravating the already bad situation. How possible is it for a young boy or girl to navigate from the very top of a three-decker bed to the floor and rush to the main door in case of an emergency,” posed Tengah.
Considering the dark history of loss of lives in boarding schools in the country from Bombolulu girls high school in Mazeras, Kwale County where 26 girls perished (1998), the Kyanguli Boys where 64 boys died among many other fire incidents where parents painfully buried ashes, there is a need for the country to have a relook at its policy on education especially as regards the safety of children in schools including regulating provision of boarding opportunities to young children.
