On the recent 'Set Setal' exercise held on Saturday 13 March, school children from the Lower and Upper Basic Schools in the Kanifing Municipality were mobilized to do the cleansing services away from their school environment around the Westfield, Kairaba Avenue , Serrekunda/Brikama Highway and Churchill Town .

This reporter went round to observe how the school children supplemented the role of the cleansing service of the municipality.

The pupils and students who were putting on their school uniforms came from St. Therese's Lower Basic, Jeshwang Lower Basic, Latri Kunda Upper Basic and Tallinding Upper Basic Schools. Apart from the school children and personnel of services and security agencies (e.g Police, Immigration, State Guards etc.), no other groups were seen engaged in the cleansing exercise.

The school children were seen scattered around the places mentioned in the presence of their teachers picking waste with their bare hands and piling them in heaps or putting them in bins. They were not putting on gloves or masks to prevent them from inhaling the cloud of dust that the cleaning generates. They carried long and short brooms, cutlasses, hoes and waste bins.

Talking to some pupils from one of the basic cycle schools, name withheld, and this reporter was told that an announcement was made during their school assembly asking those in grades 5 and 6 to join the exercise the following day. They said the two grades were assigned to clean the vicinity of Westfield to Churchill Town. According to them, the pupils were strictly warned that if they failed to turn up they will be severely punished.

Some of them complained about the hot sun and that they were hungry and thirsty. They said no food or water was given to them.

Editor's Note

Foroyaa will speak to the Mayor, The Head teachers and the Ministry of Basic education to find out whether the exercise is authorized by the Central and Local Government. The exploitation of children and subjecting them to hazardous conditions are unconstitutional.