U'khand child rights panel asks govt to improve safety at schools

Expressing concern over the poor condition of schools in Uttarakhand, a child protection panel today asked the state government to enforce guidelines issued by the Centre for safety of children in schools.
The Uttarakhand Commission for Protection of Child Rights (UCPCR) also suggested a list of measures to be taken immediately to improve the safety of children in state-run schools, especially those in the hills.
"Even 18 years after Uttarakhand got statehood, appalling conditions prevail in state-run primary and middle schools especially in the hills. The commission continues to get complaints to this effect and itsown surveys confirm this," UCPCR Chairman Yogendra Khanduri told PTI.

Schools are being run in dilapidated structures risking the lives of children and the roads leading to it are so unsafe that students are always under the threat of slipping down or being attacked by wild animals such as leopards, Khanduri said.
The commission's chairman, who wrote to Chief Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh today drawing his attention to the sorry state of affairs, asked him to ensure thatimmediate measures are taken by the school authorities for the safety of children.
The commission also suggested a list of 19 steps to be taken immediately to ramp up safety of children at schools includingnot permitting them to sit in dilapidated buildings, bringing the entire premisesunder CCTV camera surveillance and underground electric wiring among others.

It also saidthat schools should compulsorily have two gates and keep a first aid box always ready.

Those being run in double-storey houses must have railings on the staircases, the panel said.
There should be no high tension overheadelectricwires running over schools. There should be speed breakers in front of the school gates and roads leading to them should not either be slippery or overgrown with shrubs where wild animals can hide conveniently, the UCPCR said.
The commission also made a reference to directives issued by Ministry of Human Resource Development in this regard in 2014. PTI ALM
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