The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday welcomed the intentions of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate the living conditions of pupils at the North West Secondary School for the Deaf in Leeudoringstad‚ following the death of three girls in a fire last month.
The SAHRC announced on Tuesday that it had launched an investigation in to the living conditions of pupils at the Northwest School for the Deaf.
“The commission learnt with shock that the three pupils got killed in their sleep when the school hostel in Leeudoringstad‚ in Maquassi Hills Local Municipality‚ North West Province‚ was razed down by fire in the early hours of Monday two weeks ago.
“In an investigation to be conducted‚ the commission seeks to find out‚ among others‚ if the fire warning systems at the school were functional‚ and if any school official was on duty at the time of the fire. The commission will also investigate whether there is any violation of human rights‚” the SAHRC said.
The commission also welcomed the criminal investigation by the South African Police Service into the cause of deaths.
Dr Tutu Faleni‚ DA North West spokesperson on education said‚ “The DA is of the view that the outcome of the investigation by the human rights commission will ensure that no school hostel experiences what has happened in Christiana where three blind learners died in a fire in 2010‚ the inferno in Leeudoringstad two weeks ago and the fire at Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom on Monday‚ 31 August 2015.”
He said the DA trusted that the investigation by the SAHRC would‚ among other things‚ determine whether school hostel facilities‚ structural aspects of school hostel buildings and any other related issues conformed to high level safety standards and whether these standards were implemented effectively and were suitable to achieve the schools’ safety policies.
The planned investigation by the SAHRC would also ensure that each school with hostels “will be provided with the necessary support to develop safety procedures that will be customised to respond to the unique safety challenges of each school. This should be applicable‚ especially‚ to special schools such as the North West Secondary School for the Deaf in Leeudoringstad.”
The DA would make a separate submission to the SAHRC based on the information it collected after the fire ripped through the girls’ hostel in Leeudoringstad‚ Faleni said.
DA welcomes SAHRC probe at school hostel
The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Wednesday welcomed the intentions of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate the living conditions of pupils at the North West Secondary School for the Deaf in Leeudoringstad‚ following the death of three girls in a fire last month.
The SAHRC announced on Tuesday that it had launched an investigation in to the living conditions of pupils at the Northwest School for the Deaf.
“The commission learnt with shock that the three pupils got killed in their sleep when the school hostel in Leeudoringstad‚ in Maquassi Hills Local Municipality‚ North West Province‚ was razed down by fire in the early hours of Monday two weeks ago.
“In an investigation to be conducted‚ the commission seeks to find out‚ among others‚ if the fire warning systems at the school were functional‚ and if any school official was on duty at the time of the fire. The commission will also investigate whether there is any violation of human rights‚” the SAHRC said.
The commission also welcomed the criminal investigation by the South African Police Service into the cause of deaths.
Dr Tutu Faleni‚ DA North West spokesperson on education said‚ “The DA is of the view that the outcome of the investigation by the human rights commission will ensure that no school hostel experiences what has happened in Christiana where three blind learners died in a fire in 2010‚ the inferno in Leeudoringstad two weeks ago and the fire at Hoër Volkskool Potchefstroom on Monday‚ 31 August 2015.”
He said the DA trusted that the investigation by the SAHRC would‚ among other things‚ determine whether school hostel facilities‚ structural aspects of school hostel buildings and any other related issues conformed to high level safety standards and whether these standards were implemented effectively and were suitable to achieve the schools’ safety policies.
The planned investigation by the SAHRC would also ensure that each school with hostels “will be provided with the necessary support to develop safety procedures that will be customised to respond to the unique safety challenges of each school. This should be applicable‚ especially‚ to special schools such as the North West Secondary School for the Deaf in Leeudoringstad.”
The DA would make a separate submission to the SAHRC based on the information it collected after the fire ripped through the girls’ hostel in Leeudoringstad‚ Faleni said.
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