THE Ministry of Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations has launched an investigation into an incident where a concrete septic slab collapsed during recess last Friday, causing two students to fall into a sewer.
An angry parent of one of the students has also raised concerns about school safety.
The parent said the students were crossing between classroom blocks and the canteen using a concrete structure that had been regularly used for years when it suddenly gave way beneath them.
“It’s frightening to think what could have happened,” he said.
The parent also questioned the lack of warning signs and school response.
“The children were extremely lucky not to be physically injured, but the emotional and psychological impact of something like this should not be dismissed.”
“There was no call from the school to inform us of what had happened, no apology and no explanation.
“We were simply told to pick up our child, without being told there had been an accident.”
“We only learned details of the incident through another student, which is unacceptable.
“This is something that should have been communicated directly by the school administration.
“Parents should never be left to find out from children.
“If the area was unsafe, there should have been proper barriers, warning signs or clear instructions to students not to cross.
“After the incident, I was told there had been a sign, but when I went to the site myself, there was none.”
Some students also expressed concern at the lack of attention or care given to the students by teachers after the incident.
Meanwhile, Minister for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations Agni Deo Singh confirmed the matter is being investigated and that he will respond with the findings soon.
The parent said lessons should be drawn from the Lautoka school gate tragedy “and it should not take something like this for hazards to be identified and fixed”.
