Are our schools safe?

TIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Everyone has been lamenting the pathetic condition of the roads that is making the students’ trips to school a nightmare. But what about the safety of the students once they reach school? Are the schools equipped with adequate safety equipment to face any emergency situation? The answer is NO, according to the Fire and Rescue Services. A recent inspection conducted in educational institutions in the city has revealed that most of the schools and colleges have given least regard to ensuring the safety of their students. Dysfunctional emergency fire-fighting apparatus and carelessly wired electric lines are a common sight that received the inspection team in all the institutions. And, more importantly, the school and college authorities seemed unaware of the safety measures listed by the government for implementation in such institutions.  "Most of the institutions, barring a few, were found to be flouting the safety norms. That includes schools under the aid of the government and private managements too," says a senior officer attached to the Fire and Rescue Services. Every school and college has laboratories, where chances of fire outbreaks are high. But, unfortunately, majority of the schools did not have a functional fire-fighting apparatus such as fire extinguishers. Electrical wiring that is not properly concealed can also turn dangerous, which, unfortunately, was the case in many schools. The equipment had become dysfunctional as a result of not using them even for mock drills over a prolonged period of time. The inspecting team could not find even one person in any of the institutions they visited, who was trained to use the equipment. Even though there are strict instructions that mock drills must be conducted in schools at least twice a year to prepare the students to face emergency situations, schools and colleges have been negligent in this regard as well. Many teachers were found ignorant of such a practice. The lethargy in conducting the mock drills also gave zero opportunity to test the efficiency of the equipment. Another serious matter of concern was that many of the school principals did not have the phone number of the nearest hospital, the Fire officer said. He also said that even though the government has instructed the managements of educational institutions to implement the stipulated safety norms, there is no authority to ensure whether the instructions have been complied with.