T he managements of Karachi’s private schools have expressed concern over the probability of a dengue virus outbreak in the city after monsoon rains similar to that in Lahore, and demanded that the government should not only carry out fumigation at public schools, but ensure that the campaign also covers private ones. They claimed that the government is waiting for the situation to get worse and not interested in taking precautionary steps to protect children from the dengue fever.
If the government does not take preemptive steps, it would have to shut down schools like the Punjab government has done, they warned.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Private Schools Management Association (PSMA) Chairman Sharfuzzaman said that the Sindh special secretary education had called a meeting on Tuesday to discuss precautionary steps to protect children from dengue fever. “However, the meeting was postponed due to heavy rains in the city,” he added.
“In Lahore, the sewerage system is well-developed in comparison with Karachi. Here, there is no proper drainage system and stagnant rainwater can be seen on roads, posing the threat of malaria and dengue outbreak,” he said. Sharfuzzaman pointed out that the government had recently announced that a fumigation campaign would be carried out at government schools and colleges to avoid malaria and dengue cases, but it is not interested in launching the drive at private schools.
“The government would call a meeting and then decide what policy it would adopt and when it would be implemented. But then, the situation will get worse. If the government cannot take steps to protect so many children studying in the private schools of the city, then it should provide us vehicles and spray medicines so that we can launch the fumigation campaigns there ourselves.”
All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) Chairman Khalid Shah said that the association has told private schools to take measures to avoid the spread of viral diseases after rains.
“Last year, we issued 12-point precautionary guidelines to our member private schools so that they can protect children from viral diseases and we issued instructions this year as well,” he added.
“Last year, we approached some private companies and purchased hand pumps and medicines for fumigation after the outbreak of viral diseases, particularly dengue fever and we will repeat that this year if there is a dengue fever outbreak again,” he said. “Fumigation will be started after rains end because if the campaign is launched during that, it will be unbeneficial,” he added.
