By Suzan Kabarwani

The police  on Sunday inspected a number of schools to check for the adherence to the fire  safety guidelines  put in place to prevent fire accidents  in schools as the new term opens .

In an abrupt exercise conducted around Kampala schools ,police found out that almost all schools had not yet reached that standards set by police in a Fire Safety Guideline Handbook which was issued in 2009.

According to the Deputy Police Spokesperson ,Vincent Ssekate ,Most schools still have wooden ceilings which police said are dangerous when fire break out in dormitories.Other schools still had Three Decker Beds for students yet according to the set standards ,students should sleep on two Decker beds or one.

Fire at Budo School  in 2008 left 20  children burnt

Other things police checked for  in schools include ; the presence of fire extinguishers and the knowledge of their use,the vigilance   and strength of of security guards ,the quality of food offered to students ,sanitation among other things.

All non complying schools were given only fourteen days to adhere to police guidelines .

In 2008 fire gutted a dormitory at Budo Junior school and left over 20 children dead.