Metro,Rudaw
A decades-old school in Sulaimani province’s Qaladze district is about to collapse due to wide cracks on the building. Authorities warn that the lives of about 500 students are in danger.
Trpa Ali is a student at Daban Basic School which was built 33 years ago. Nearly half a thousand students study at the school.
"The school is about to fall on us. It is very terrible due to cracks. Water leaks into the classroom when it rains. We are terrified during the rain and we all gather [somewhere] during earthquakes,” she told Rudaw’s Abubakir Ismail this week.
Parwa Halmat, another student, said she cannot concentrate on her lessons due to the noise when it rains.
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s education ministry has decided to demolish the school and build a new one but nothing has been done.
Kamal Rasul is the principal of the school. He told Rudaw that the government’s failure to build a new school is related to the financial crisis the KRG has been suffering in recent years.
Mahmoud Hussein, head of education Pshdar directorate, also warned that "every second there is danger to the lives of the teachers and students as it [the building] could collapse.”
In addition to this school, 56 other schools in the area need repairs and some could collapse any moment, according to data obtained by Rudaw.