The Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) sent a team to coordinate the handling of victims following a wall collapse at Madrasah Tsanawiyah 19 Pondok Labu (MTsN) on Thursday.
“Our team went there today to coordinate and to track down children affected by this incident,” the ministry’s deputy for special child protection, Nahar, informed in Jakarta on Friday.
He also expressed his deep condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims.
“We are saddened by the incident and hope the grieving family will be given patience and strength,” he added.
The PPPA Ministry will determine the chronology of the incident that led to children, the victims of the disaster, being outside their classrooms during heavy rains.
“This must be investigated. Even if the children played outside during the rain, there should be someone reminding them. We will check that,” Nahar said.
The ministry will also check whether the children were given an understanding of the school environment.
“For example, the school must have known better regarding the school’s fence. They must know whether the fence was in a good condition or not. Schools should map out their own environment,” he emphasized.
Nahar said he believes that had the school carried out the mapping, the risk of the incident could have been minimized.
The collapse of the barrier wall at MTsN 19 Pondok Labu, South Jakarta, caused the death of three students around 2:50 p.m. local time on Thursday.
The school’s wall reportedly collapsed due to heavy rains that caused water from the Pinang Kalijati connecting channel and the river behind the school to overflow.
In addition to the three students who died in the incident, three other students were injured and received treatment at the Prikasih Hospital in Jakarta.
Source: Antara News