CHENNAI: The School Education department has directed schools across Tamil Nadu to implement comprehensive safety measures to ensure students attend classes and return home safely, particularly during the monsoon.

After a review meeting, the School Education department instructed Chief Educational Officers and other department officials to ensure that school heads and teachers take immediate action on safety concerns and continuously monitor school premises.

The department has also ordered regular inspections of compound walls, classrooms, toilets, roofs, overhead tanks and other structures. It also instructed schools to cordon off damaged buildings and unsafe areas, and report structures requiring demolition to the district administration.

The department has urged all schools to seal open wells and septic tanks in and around school premises. Also, necessary renovation of roofs must be taken along with monitoring the electrical connection in the school, the department directed.

Schools have been directed to strictly prohibit corporal punishment, bullying, ragging and all forms of physical or mental harassment. The department insisted on identification of vulnerable students and providing them appropriate support.

Officials have also been asked to create awareness among students about the School Education helpline 14417, Child Helpline 1098 and Tele-MANAS mental health helpline 14416. These numbers must be prominently displayed on school notice boards, at entrances and other accessible locations.

Fire extinguishers, emergency exits and evacuation routes must be regularly inspected, and periodic emergency drills must be conducted. School buses and vans must meet safety requirements, while playgrounds, sports equipment and laboratories should undergo regular inspections.

The guidelines also stressed hygienic food preparation, safe food storage, and proper inspection of kitchen facilities, LPG and electrical connections.