Ensure that government schools follow safety norms like their private counterparts: Committee

The committee appointed by the Department of Primary and Secondary Education stated in its report that government schools are not held to the same standard as their private unaided counterparts when it comes to adopting safety and security measures.

The committee, headed by Member of the Legislative Council S.V. Sankanur, was constituted to examine if there was a need for managements to submit safety and security certificates when they apply for renewal of recognition for their schools.

It submitted its report to Primary and Secondary Education Minister B.C. Nagesh in Bengaluru on Wednesday. A committee member stated that while private schools have been asked to follow all the safety and security measures, the department had failed to ask government schools to comply with the rules.

In the strongly worded report, it said that the government should allocate funds in the upcoming budget to upgrade the safety and security measures in State-run schools. It suggested that a State-level overseeing committee be formed to look into any grievances pertaining to the safety of children in school. Members should include officials from multiple departments who will follow up on complaints of buildings that are not structurally safe, the lack of toilets and drinking water, and inadequate infrastructure.Such a committee should also redress complaints pertaining to violence and abuse of children.

Some of the other recommendations made by the committee state that the process of issuing No Objection Certificate (NOC) for fire safety norms at schools and building fitness certificate renewal should be decentralised. Schools what have only a ground floor should be exempted from getting NOC for fire and safety.

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