This is not how the family of young student Maggy Mahmoud envisioned her educational journey. Maggy (16 years old), like any student of her generation, was pursuing her education with the support of her family to achieve the highest ranks, thus lifting her name and her family's name through her knowledge, ambition, and certificates. They never expected they would be carrying their daughter’s body from under the collapsed ceiling of her classroom due to the state's negligence and the failure of officials to fulfill their duties.
Undoubtedly, the collapse of part of the ceiling in the second secondary classroom at the Al-Qobbeh Official Mixed Secondary School (American) in Jabal Mohsen, Tripoli, yesterday, was a tragedy not only for Maggy's family but for all families who work tirelessly to secure their children's education. The sorrow of this tragedy did not solely affect Tripoli; it cast a shadow over many areas upon hearing the news of Maggy Mahmoud's death and the injury of her classmate, Shatha Darwish, who was transferred to Al-Nini Hospital for further treatment, her condition described as stable.
On Wednesday, November 2, like any other school day, Maggy put on her clothes, grabbed her books, and was about to head to school. She said goodbye to her mother, who asked her not to be late as there was a "dish she loves" waiting for her. Neither Maggy nor her mother knew it would be their last farewell... "God willing, I will see you as the best doctor," was the last sentence her mother said to her. A few hours later, the painful news came: "Maggy is a martyr of neglect after the classroom ceiling fell on her head." That day, Maggy was sitting at her desk, following her lessons, unaware that these were her last hours in this world. A metal beam fell from the dilapidated ceiling, striking her head and injuring her classmate Shatha. The classroom was left in a state of extreme tragedy. There was no trace of a pencil, notebook, or book left—only the remnants of death and the scent of blood, along with the agony endured by Maggy and her classmates during a day of terror experienced in what should have been one of the safest places for them.
In the atmosphere of grief and anger, Maggy was laid to rest yesterday afternoon in Jabal Mohsen, and these dark scenes enveloped all of Tripoli. The families organized multiple gatherings around the school and in Jabal Mohsen Square, demanding the state assume its responsibilities and hold accountable those responsible for this neglect. The incident prompted many to question the administration’s responsibilities for allowing education in a classroom with a ceiling ready to collapse! Was the Ministry of Education indeed informed of the situation? Did they send a committee to inspect and report the building as safe for education?
As educational bodies urged the Ministry of Education to declare a mourning period in Lebanon for Maggy's soul and to condemn what happened, the incident revived an old-new issue that plagues the city of Tripoli: the buildings at risk of collapse. Deputy Ashraf Rifi mentioned in a tweet that there are "400" such buildings. These buildings are a mix of schools, residential buildings, and official facilities, and it seems there is hardly a year that passes without Tripoli losing victims due to the collapse of one of them. Meanwhile, those responsible for finding solutions through repair or demolition are passing the buck among each other—from the state to the relevant ministries to the Tripoli Municipality and the Engineers' Syndicate. Each party shifts the responsibility to the other, while the people alone bear the heavy and costly toll—in this city of suffering and neglect—of their souls.
In response, the Minister of Education and Higher Education in the caretaker government, Abbas Halabi, assigned an engineering and technical investigation committee to thoroughly examine the building and prepare a detailed report on the causes of the incident and the responsibilities entailed, ensuring he would "take the utmost penalties if any neglect is confirmed." He contacted Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is in Algeria, and tasked the Higher Relief Committee with providing on-site assistance. Halabi also decided to suspend schools, secondary schools, and vocational institutes in Tripoli today, Thursday, in mourning for the deceased.
