A fifth-grade classroom was closed on Friday morning after part of the ceiling collapsed. A concerned student’s mother had contacted the school after several incidents of this type occurring in the past. The mother feared for the safety of both children and teachers. In this particular case, the ceiling collapsed during the night, and Claire, the student’s mother, was alarmed, imagining a scenario where a child would be below when the ceiling fell. According to Claire, similar incidents occurred after heavy rains. Wallonia Brussels Education confirms the concern and explains that it is not a stability issue with humidity but probably due to the age of the coating, causing the plaster to dry out. The incident prompted immediate action to be taken to secure the situation, and the cost of the work is yet to be determined. Despite the closure of part of the premises and concern from parents, classes will continue normally, while work will be planned to renew the ceilings next year.
This Friday morning, a fifth grade classroom was closed after part of the ceiling collapsed. It is a student’s mother who pressed the orange button Alert us since this is not the first time that this type of incident has happened in the establishment. She fears that the safety of children and teachers will be jeopardized.
In a class of fifth primary, this Friday morning, bad surprise. In the back of the room, pieces of ceiling are scattered between the tables and the floor. Eyes go up: no doubt, it is the ceiling that collapsed during the night.
Claire* (assumed name), a student mother, is sounding the alarm because it could have been very dangerous if someone had been present during the collapse, but also because it is not the first incident of this type at the royal athenaeum Vauban in Charleroi.
“The ceiling fell a priori tonight or early this morning”believes Claire. “What if it fell on a child’s head?”wonders this mother who imagines the worst. “With the weight of the lamp and the ceiling that have fallen, the child below might no longer be there…”
She remembers several similar situations, in the same class, in other classes and even in a hallway, which caused the school to close for a day about two years ago. For her, no doubt, these events always occur after heavy rains. “As soon as it rains a lot, it drinks the water and it falls”says our witness.
We ask questions…
For Claire, it’s time “that things really move”, especially since roofing work had been undertaken in the establishment two years earlier. According to her, the other parents of students are also worried, even if the incident happened at night and there were no injuries.
A fallback solution also exists for classes to take place in this vast establishment… “We still ask ourselves questions for children and teachers…”
Obsolescence of the installation
On the side of Wallonia Brussels Education (autonomous public body of the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation), we confirm this concern for ceilings in this wing of the establishment, completely independent of the recently changed roof. “It’s a piece of coating that fell”explains the spokesperson for the WBE. “It’s not a problem of stability with humidity, it’s just due to the age of this coating, over the years, it causes the plaster to dry out”continues Géraldine Kamps before affirming: “It has nothing to do with heavy rain.”
Random collapses, unrelated to humidity therefore. “It is always very difficult to predict since it is the age of the ceiling that is in question”admits Wallonia Brussels Education.
Measures taken
Immediate action was taken following this collapse. Teams will go there on Monday to secure the place, and check if other areas are weakened. Part of the premises will therefore be closed, but classes will take place normally.
Work will therefore be planned for next year in order to renew the ceilings. The cost of this work has not been communicated, since it has just been initiated.
“We understand the concern of parents, we are parents ourselves and we don’t want to take any risks”concludes the spokesperson for the WBE. “Fortunately the collapse was observed without the classes being occupied.”
In conclusion, the concerns of parents and students regarding the safety of the royal athenaeum Vauban in Charleroi are not to be taken lightly. The recent incident of ceiling collapse in the fifth-grade classroom only adds to the growing list of similar occurrences in the establishment. While Wallonia Brussels Education has confirmed that the problem is due to the age of the coating rather than heavy rain or humidity, immediate measures have been taken to secure the premises and ensure the safety of all students and teachers. Work to renew the ceilings will be planned for next year, but the cost has not yet been communicated. Our hope is that the school will take this issue seriously and prioritize the safety of all those in its care.