Siakalima re-opens gutted Kapiri Girls Technical School

Minister of Education, Douglas Siakalima has announced the full re-opening of Kapiri Girls National Technical School on July 17, 2023 which was closed on May 18, 2023 after fire swept through three dormitories and destroyed pupils’ property.

 Mr Siakalima said the decision to re-open the school has been made to allow pupils at the institution to resume classes for them not to remain behind in their lesson schedules and school calendar.

He made the pronouncement after inspecting progress on the repair of the affected dormitories at the institution.

This follows the partial opening of the school to examination classes, Grades 9 and 12, on June 18.

Mr Siakalima declared that the school will fully re-open to learners on July 17, 2023 stating that pupils are expected to report on 15th and 16th July adding that the school will not close during the August term break to allow pupils to catch up with other schools in the learning calendar.

“I have decided to re-open the school to allow our girls to resume classes on 17th of July 2023. This measure is meant to ensure that pupils don’t remain behind in their lesson schedules,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Siakalima has assured of maximum security at the institution to avert the recurrence of the incident that disturbed the learning process at the school.

He disclosed that according to police investigations so far, pupils, teachers, and unknown persons could have been behind the fire.

” I can never imagine if we had lost a life and whoever was involved and wherever they are they should have not done that. The Police are telling me some of the pupils could have done that. They are also alleging some of the teachers could have done that and they are also alleging it could have been an outsider who did that. But whoever did that life could have been lost,” Mr Siakalima said.

Meanwhile, Central Province Resident Engineer, Gift Chibuye assured the minister that works on two hostels will be completed within the course of this week before the school fully re-opens.

Ms Chibuye said only works on one other hostel will take about four weeks because about 50 percent of the building will need to be demolished and reconstructed.

“We are currently working on two dormitories Ngabwe and Mushimbili which were not so damaged and the works involved is largely painting and we are replacing doors, window glass panes and working on surfaces that were damaged while the other building will take about four weeks to allow for curing because we have to partially demolish and reconstruct it,” she said.

And Kwame Nkrumah University has donated 200 mattresses and K70, 000 cash towards the re-opening and renovation exercise of the dormitories at the institution.

Kwame Nkrumah University Board Chairperson, Lloyd Shimwambwa said the university decided to donate to ease the challenges the school was facing following the fire incidents.

“As Kwame Nkrumah University we feel duty bound to extend a helping hand in financial and material form to ease problems arising from the unfortunate situation the school and the Ministry of Education found themselves in,” Mr Shimwambwa said.