Ministry of Education should swiftly take action, and save the innocent souls, asbestos are carcinogenic !
Amwamba primary school, is a public school located at akachiu, maua Meru county.it's actually a public school that tops in the whole meru county under the current headteacher Mr. Silas Kithinji Kamui. It was the best school in mount Kenya region, producing the best position two girls in Kenya in last year's KCPE results.It's the school where also our current Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture studied. Amwamba primary school was started by missionaries in the 1960s. The headteacher and the teachers in this school are worried and afraid of the cancerous asbestos that have built the classrooms they teach at. The school management and the community urges the government to save them before the mess destroys young ones.
The school headteacher says, "The school is built of asbestos materials which are absolutely dangerous and harmful to human being More SO the children. These kids are at high risk of asbestos is because their lungs and respiratory systems are still in development, Kids who are not aware of the dangers and are not armed with the knowledge of how to protect themselves.
Children will jump, skip and slide on any surface. They’ll pick up rocks, pebbles and other small pieces of material to play with. Kids will make mud pies out of soil and turn old sheds into clubhouses, regardless of their state of disrepair. They’re often unaware of the danger that maybe posed by this asbestos."
"As these asbestos sheets age, according to the studies, the cement used to hold the asbestos fibers in place deteriorates. When this occurs, a deadly mix of cement dust and asbestos fibers are carried with the wind into the environment. Childrens lungs are smaller and have a higher surface area to volume ration than the lungs of adults. Children also breathe at a faster rate, meaning they can inhale more asbestos fibers with every breath. Children are also susceptible to exposure through sticking their fingers in their mouths. If they have previously come into contact with asbestos particles, they could accidentally ingest the fibers."it's an urge to our county and national government to save us before we are destroyed by this rapid harmful chemicals from the asbestos."claimed the school headteacher and principal.
The ministry of education should come up with a team that can supervise and check every public school around the country to ensure safety and conducive learning environment. Always prevention is better than cure !
Brian Mwenda,
Sports & Education Journalist,
Kuza news television.Â
Meru county.
