Pushpa Girimaji
Last week my daughter informed me that there was a fire in her school, which was quickly put out. The next day when I asked the principal about it, she flatly denied any such occurrence. I am now worried about the safety of my child and of course, the other children who study in the school. What action can I take to ensure that the school is fire safe?
I wish there were more such parents who bothered about these issues of safety-that would ensure a safer environment for our children. First and foremost, find out whether the school has a fire safety certificate, if not they have to get it immediately and display it in a prominent place.
I must mention here that soon after the devastating fire at the Lord Sri Krishna Middle School in Kumkanonam, Tamil Nadu, a public interest litigation was filed before the Supreme court by Avinash Mehrotra, seeking the highest court’s intervention in ensuring that children studied in schools that were safe and secure in all respects. In response to that, the Supreme Court Bench said it had become imperative that each school follow the bare minimum safety standards, in addition to the compliance of the National Building code of India, 2005, in particular Part IV- Fire &Safety and the Code of Practice of Fire Safety in Educational Institutions (IS14435:1997) of the Bureau of Indian Standards.
So schools have to comply with this. I would suggest that you look up on the net, the judgement of the Supreme Court in Avinash Mehrotra V Union of India, Writ Petition (Civil) No 483 of 2004, judgement date: April 13, 2009. Armed with that, you can then confront the school and ask them whether they are complying with the Supreme Court’s directive. You can also ask the education department and the fire department whether they are ensuring compliance.
Some of the points enumerated by the apex court:
“Articles 21 and 21 A of the Constitution require that India’s schoolchildren receive education in safe schools. In order to give effect to the provisions of the Constitution, we must ensure that India’s schools adhere to basic safety standards without further delay.”
Whenever I confront the school about some issue, they take my daughter to task. So how do I overcome this problem?
School fire safety is not just your problem, it concerns all parents. So get the parents together and all of you go and meet the principal. Similarly, your complaint to the education department can carry all your signatures. I would also suggest that you form a safety committee in the school to regularly oversee safety. The committee can also ensure that the school renews fire safety certificate regularly.
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