Getting our priorities wrong
The Ryan incident shows that child safety must come first
The extremely tragic incident of a child having been found murdered in Ryan International School raises several questions regarding the safety and security of children within schools. With school admissions becoming more and more complicated each year, perhaps parents and schools need to take another look at their priorities when it comes to admissions. Many schools advertise their “world-class facilities” that make the school look more like a five-star hotel than a school, with hi-tech systems, air-conditioned classrooms, Olympic-sized swimming pools, an International Baccalaureate (IB) courses etc.
It was only a few months ago that a child died in another prominent south Delhi school by falling from a second floor corridor. Teachers and school authorities must remember that they are responsible for the well being of the child in loco parentis for all the time that the child has been entrusted in their care. More important than air-conditioned classrooms is whether the school premises are safe. Things such as whether the railings in corridors are too low, and whether windows grills are enough to keep small children from falling off must be considered more important than whether the colour of the walls are vibrant. While it is important to ask whether the exam results of the students are good, it is equally important to ensure that children are always within shouting distance of a responsible adult. Whether that adult is the principal of the school, the driver of the student’s school bus, the class teacher responsible for the student, or the bathroom attendant; a parent must know that the child will be safe with those that the child spends time with in the school.
Are bathrooms child friendly? Do the smaller children have separate bathrooms? Does the school have a strict no corporal punishment policy? Is there a counsellor, a paediatrician and a nurse available at all times on campus? These are the sort of questions that are important while looking for a school. What is important is that the atmosphere in the school encourages you to leave your child in that environment secure in the knowledge that her safety is taken care of.