By Ragan M. Conteh
It has been reported that since the outbreak of the fire incidents at the Milton Margai School for the Blind in February this year, not much has been done to renovate the building.
According to sources, the buildings remain in a very dangerous state not fit to accommodate the blind children, particularly so at a time when the rainy season is posing more serious threats to the buildings.
Whenever its rains, according to sources, the children are asked to vacate the buildings and stay and sleep in the corridors for fear of danger.
According to sources, this bad and ugly development has brought the children’s education to a stand-still. Sources continued that the administration is seriously thinking about closing down the school next week if the situation is not seriously looked into.
The school’s administration has stated that what they want to see at the moment is a quick and speedy renovation of the buildings, or their visually impaired children will lose the opportunity of being educated this year.
Videos and photos have shown how flooding engulfed the school’s hostels due to last night’s heavy downpour of rain. The school administration said it is now more urgent than ever before to help rehabilitate the buildings, if the government is to give equal opportunity to their visually impaired children to continue benefiting from the Free Quality Education programme, particularly with the introduction of the Radical Inclusion Policy targeting children with disabilities and others.
The administration, therefore, wants to see government take quick actions to restore the lost glory of the buildings.
They also called on the Ministry of Social Welfare that is responsible for such categories of Sierra Leoneans to swiftly intervene and forestall the already terrible situation.
