District-level checks on school safety now

Pradeep Yadav, principal secretary, School Education Department, in a communication, has made it known that the committee at the district level would be headed by Chief Education Officer and would have as its members the tahsildar concerned and representatives from Public Works Department, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, Directorate of Town and Country Planning, Tamil Nadu Electricity Board and Health Department. 

The communication also notes that a check list has been prepared to carryout the inspection of all schools including nursery, play schools and schools affiliated to CBSE/ ICSE based on the guidelines issued such as School Safety Policy, 2016, Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules 2011, Tamil Nadu Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, recommendations of Justice Sampath Commission of Enquiry and guidelines for safety and security of children issued by Ministry of Human Resource Development. 

However, Change India on whose plea, the court had offered the direction has sought the inspection committee to also check for notorious enterprises with headquarters situated at neighbouring States setting up ‘school education shops’ throughout Chennai and other cities and towns in Tamil Nadu. Change India, Director, A Narayanan, in a representation to principal secretary, School Education Department, has submitted that hundreds of illegal schools are being operated in all kinds of buildings, promising all kinds of unrealistic features to gullible parents. These schools neither possess affiliation to CBSE nor recognition from the School Education Department and operate like a chain of restaurants. 

Narayanan on noting the poor conditions in which Adi-Dravidar Welfare Schools, Kallar Reclamation schools, Government Tribal Schools and schools administered by Municipal Corporations exist, said these schools are not being inspected by School Education Department and none of the departments who run these schools have educationalists in their roles nor possess expertise in education matters.

Also pointing out that all such schools run under the administration of various Government departments should be made Government schools and brought under the school education department, the plea sought the School Education Secretary to direct the district-level inspection committee to inspect the schools coming under other government departments, as well as Government schools and Government-aided schools.