Schools across state to be converted into relief centres, inspection begins

Accordingly, expert teams, comprising officials from the School Education Department, persons from Disaster Management Wing and Health authorities have been constituted in the four districts, which were identified as the red zone, to inspect the schools.

A senior official from the Directorate of School Education told DT Next on Friday that all the headmasters and principals in the schools run by the State and private parties, who were asked to be present in the schools, were helping the visiting team to provide information on the facilities available in their respective institutions.

Stating that as per the records, the school authorities have already given the list of 200 big schools including government institutions across the four districts, the official noted, “However, the teams, during the manual inspection, will identify and ensure whether the schools have adequate infrastructure facilities including drinking water availability and accessibility of hygienic toilets”.

He said with the help of the local body staff all the identified schools were properly cleaned and sanitised early in the morning to keep it ready for inspection. “On the first day, more than 70 schools will be covered by the teams in all the four districts,” he said. “The school inspection works will be completed maximum within two or three days and the team would submit a detailed report to the Health and Family Welfare Department and other officials concerned, who will prepare a final list of the institutions that are fit to be converted as relief centres, the official added”

The official also pointed out that during the second phase, inspections of the schools will be conducted in other districts, which were also identified as red zones.

“The government is in the process of identifying the schools in this regard”, he added. Welcoming the government move to convert schools as relief camps, Tamil Nadu Teachers Association President Ilamaran said the authorities should ensure that the school premises are 100% infection-free before handing them over to the management.

D C Elangovan, secretary of Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu, said that the main purpose of selecting schools for relief camps is to provide access to the affected people in their respective locality.