PARENTS ANGRY OVER FOOD TORCH SCHOOL IN PHILIPPINES
Manila, Philippines - A group of parents torched a school in the central Philippines after complaining their children weren't given the food promised by a government program aimed at boosting school attendance, police said on Tuesday.
The gutted walls were all that remained of the one-story Gaib Elementary School in Masbate island province, said provincial police chief Ed Benigay.
Source: AP
The gutted walls were all that remained of the one-story Gaib Elementary School in Masbate island province, said provincial police chief Ed Benigay.
- No one was hurt because the school was empty when it burned down overnight, he said.
- "It was done by some disgruntled parents who reportedly got mad at some teachers over perceived discrimination in the school's nourishment program," he said.
- He said the parents accused the teachers of not giving their children enough rice.
- Under the government's Food for School program that seeks to encourage school attendance, each student in impoverished areas is supposed to be given a kilo of rice every day.
- The arson left nearly 150 students aged 5-10 without a classroom, Benigay said, adding that important records also were lost.
- Police said no arrests have been made but they will file charges soon.
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