Ensure building codes are followed by schools, says activist

A. Narayanan says inspection committees should ensure ramps, staircase lighting and ventilation

Inspection committees of the School Education Department that are examining structures should ensure that the building code norms are followed, says an activist.

“The inspection committees should also comply with the recommendations of Justice Sampath Committee and the National Building Code,” said A. Narayanan, director of Change India, a non-governmental organisation which had filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court in 2017 asking schools in all districts to be inspected.

The High Court had instructed the School Education Department to constitute a committee in every district, headed by the chief educational officer and comprising experts to inspect all schools. The directorate should take note of the provisions of the National Building Code, the verdict read. Little headway was made even though major accidents were not reported.