Directive issued to schools in Coimbatore to ensure students’ safety

As schools reopened for the new academic year for Classes VI to XII on Monday, many schools were found flouting instructions issued by the Collector to school authorities for children’s safety.

As schools reopened for the new academic year for Classes VI to XII on Monday, many schools were found flouting instructions issued by the Collector to school authorities for children’s safety.

In a multi-departmental meeting on June 8, Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati had instructed that schools must permit vehicles transporting children into their premises and not be stopped on the road. School managements were also directed to appoint persons to regulate and monitor the movement of children.

With Classes for I to V standards to start on Wednesday, the police said in a statement that many instructions were found violated. “It was noted that most vehicles transporting students were not allowed to enter the school premises, and were stopped on the road — children alight the vehicles on the road and entered their respective campuses. Also, loudspeakers were not installed at the entry points and no one was assigned to regulate the recommended process,” the release said.

At the Collector’s meeting, it was instructed that every school should have two gates, vehicles bringing children should enter through one gate, drop the children only inside the premises and exit through the other. Schools authorities were also advised to use loudspeakers at the entrance to regulate the vehicles and appoint people to monitor this process.

The school managements should make the arrangements immediately without fail to ensure the safe travel of children, the police said.

K. Gotha Hari Priya, managing trustee of Coimbatore Parenting Network, an NGO, said the school management, parents and vehicle drivers could coordinate to make sure that untoward incidents do not occur and take onus for the child’s safety.

“The National Cadet Corps volunteers in the schools can help regulate the parents and designated drivers dropping and picking up the wards,” she said.