NO INQUIRY YET: MOTHER
Education sector professionals yesterday expressed concern over the absence of an investigation into the incident where a 14-year-old Royal College student was saved
Even the teacher-in-charge of scouting had not been present with the children. Why were they allowed to be in the pool without any adult supervision?
from drowning while at the school swimming pool two weeks ago.
Sasanka Jagath Alwis’s mother Geetha Chandani said her son had attended school that Sunday to take part in a scouting camp.
“Usually after scouting, the children are allowed to swim in the pool. On March 2, I dropped Sasanka at school at 7.30 a.m. for the scouting camp. When I returned to school at 12.30 p.m. to pick him I was informed that he had met with an accident in the swimming pool and was hospitalised,” she said.
Sasanka is still at the Colombo General Hospital ICU. Geetha said the doctors had told her that the oxygen supply to Sanaka’s brain had been interrupted because of a delay in providing necessary first-aid treatment.
Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) President Joseph Stalin alleged that neither a lifeguard nor a trainer had been present at the pool during the time of the accident.
“Moreover, even the teacher-in-charge of scouting had not been present with the children. Why were the children allowed to be in the pool without any adult supervision? Why are the school authorities not launching an inquiry into this incident and taking relevant action against those responsible?” he asked.
He said it was also a matter for concern that the Education Ministry had not yet inquired into the incident although it had been two weeks since it happened.
“A similar incident of negligence took place in the Royal College about a year ago, when a student taking part in Wushu suffered a serious blow during a practice session. Because of the delay to hospitalise the injured child, he is still receiving treatment for his injuries,” Mr. Stalin alleged. Several attempts made to contact Royal College Principal H. A. Upali Gunasekara were unsuccessful. However, former Royal College Primary Section Principal and voluntary swimming coach Sunimal De Silva dismissed the allegations made by the mother and Mr. Stalin.
“I was coaching about 40 students in the kids’ swimming pool when I heard a commotion from the other side of the pool about a drowning child. I immediately rushed to the spot and gave him mouth to mouth resuscitation and wasted no time in rushing him to hospital accompanied by the other swimming coach Mr. Athula,” he said.
Moreover, even the teacher-in-charge of scouting had not been present with the children. Why were the children allowed in the pool without adult supervision Why are the school authorities not launching an inquiry into this incident and taking relevant action against those
responsible?
Mr. De Silva said it might have been an unexpected medical condition that knocked the boy unconscious and caused the drowning.
“It may have been a blood clot, a heart disease or an epileptic seizure that knocked the boy unconscious. If he was underwater at the time, we would not have heard any noises. However, as soon as he was seen underwater, others rushed to rescue him. When I arrived at the location, his body was stiff. As soon as I gave the mouth to mouth resuscitation, the boy coughed up water,” he added