No doors in toilets, dangling wires as schools flout safety standards
FAILING Govt’s disaster management team conducted a safety inspection in government and private schools in east and northeast Delhi, found loopholes
NEWDELHI: Toilets without doors, live wires dangling in classrooms, fire extinguishers past their expiry date, gas cylinders dumped in the school campus and unsafe buildings — these are some of government’s recent findings from an inspection of Delhi schools. Last week, the Delhi government’s disaster management team conducted a safety inspection in at least 16 private and government schools in the east and north-eastern part of the city.
Following t he i nspection report, the north-east additional district magistrate’s office sent a showcause notice to schools, seeking explanation why they did not adhere to the safety standards and directed them to fix the loopholes at the earliest.
A notice sent to Canterbury Modern Public School located on the Main Wazirabad Road reads, “The inspection team submitted its report, in which various shortcomings were observed, which need to be looked into to ensure proper safety measures to avoid any disaster. School does not have a first-aid kit. Unhygienic condition of toilets, while there are no doors in some.”
At the Green Field Public School in Yamuna Vihar, the disaster management team found the school did not have a pucca roof and there were no separate toilets for boys and girls. Also, none of the employees got their police verification done.
The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) officials said the inspection was ordered by MK Dwivedi — ADM, northeast district and also chief executive officer of DDMA — following the recent incident of a 14-yearold boy stabbed inside a school bathroom in Karawal Nagar. Dwivedi said that in March, the disaster management team held a workshop and invited 300 top schools of north and north-east district. They were told about the safety measures and asked to ensure compliance of the same.
“We conducted the inspection after briefing them about the security measures. We carried out the security survey at schools where there were around 500, or in some cases more than 1,500 students. Parents send their children to school hoping that they are in a safe environment, but our findings in some cases were shocking,” Dwivedi said.
“In some schools, there was a common toilet for girls and boys. The door was broken in girls’ toilet and anyone could peep inside,” he added. The officer said that most schools did not have a safety structure certificate despite the fact that areas around Yamuna and its floodplains — which are in east and north-eastern part of Delhi — fall under seismic zone 4.
“We have asked the schools for an action taken report before a stipulated deadline. Our intention is not to trigger panic, but to ensure that students are safe,” Dwivedi said.
Also, one of the most common security lax, the inspection team found, was the non-compliance of 2017 government order to get school employees verified.
Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is also the education minister said the inspection report should be reaching the education department soon, and they would take action against the schools, after studying the reports. Sisodia said the government had asked for certain safety measures, including police verification of all staff members, after the a boy was found murder in a Gurgaon private school, and a five-year-old was allegedly raped in a northwest Delhi school. Not safe for earthquake as the building has developed cracks; fire extinguishers not working; unhygienic toilets; despite 4,129 students and over 150 teaching and non-teaching employees, school didn’t have a fire or building fitness certificate.
If a government school does not have a fire certificate, because they need to be renewed every year, and they may be getting it done. Private schools need to get a 'No Objection Certificate' from the fire department, which is given after an inspection, and this is our biggest filter. A man, who identified himself as Ashish Sharma, the school manager said, "Yes there was an inspection but everything in our school was in order. About the validity of the fire equipment, we have submitted the details to the ADM office." The school’s front office executive confirmed the school’s email id, but said the principal was not available for comment. She said the principal would call back after reading the mail.
We are trying our best to remove loopholes raised. We shall revert after completing the shortcomings. Fire extinguishers past their expiry date; no separate toilets for boys and girls; health certificate expired; no evacuation plan. Empty fire extinguishers; polluted drinking water, not fit for drinking
Expired fire extinguisher; school roof was not pucca; using diesel generator sets, which is banned by National Green Tribunal; no police verification
A detailed reply along with relevant documents and an affidavit has already been filed in the office of DDMA. One fire extinguisher cylinder was empty, which has been refilled. Other fire extinguishers are working and we showed them the certificate. We have now conducted the verification of all employees. Student safety is our priority. School fitness certificate expired; no police verification of staff and security personnel was done; unhygienic condition of school toilets while doors in few of the toilets were missing; classrooms made by wooden partition without applying fire resistant substance; loose and open electric wire
KC Gupta, chairman of school, said: “The allegations are false. We have all the certificates and showed it to district magistrate and additional district magistrate. They were satisfied. The officers, who conducted the inspection were rude and acted like bullies. School had a fire certificate but they had built one extra floor and did not take fire safety certificate for the same; diesel stored in the store room with other flammable products
The front office employee said she would inform the principal. She also confirmed the principal’s email address to which the mail was sent.
Later, she said the principal was busy because of examination being held in the school.