Utumishi Girls Academy will officially reopen on Thursday, July 2, more than a month after the tragic fire that killed 16 students.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

The new date was arrived at following a high-level meeting between parents and officials from the Ministry of Education that resolved concerns over the school's readiness to receive learners after May's deadly fire.

The eight-hour meeting, held on Monday, June 29, came a day after parents declined to send their daughters back to the school, citing unresolved safety concerns and demanding assurances that measures had been put in place to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

Parents maintained that they could not allow their children to return without clear guarantees regarding their safety, arguing that the school management had failed to provide sufficient information on reforms undertaken since the May inferno.

📌 What You Need to Know

Following discussions with education officials, however, parents agreed to the phased reopening of the institution after being briefed on a raft of safety measures and administrative changes introduced at the school.

Among the major reforms announced is the transfer of the school's headteacher, which followed the dissolution of the school board weeks earlier.

Parents were also informed that students would be accommodated in dormitories that were not affected by the fire, while the National Police Service is constructing temporary structures to provide additional accommodation as the school works to restore normal operations.

"The dormitories that were not affected by the fire will accommodate our girls. The National Police Service is also putting up temporary structures for the students," one parent said after the meeting.

As a temporary measure to reduce overcrowding, the school will expand the dining hall to ease congestion and convert two classrooms into temporary dormitories as plans for the construction of new dormitories continue.

Under the reopening schedule, Form Four students are expected to report back to school on Thursday, July 2, while learners in the remaining classes will resume studies on Monday, July 6.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke