SCHOOLS IN PUNE GET NEW NORMS FOR TRIPS; CITY SCHOOLS NEXT?

MUMBAI: In order to make school trips safer, the deputy directorate of education for Pune division has asked all schools to link their trips to the curriculum and fix the destination and duration depending on the children’s age.

The circular, issued on Thursday, came after the death of 14 college students from Pune during a trip to the Murud Janjira beach on February 1.

Experts have demanded that city schools, too, be asked to follow these rules, which were drawn up after discussions with schools and parents.

The guidelines, which will be added t o existing rules for trips, state that schools should not take pre- primary and primary students on long trips, which involve overnight stays and faraway locations. Also, schools should select age- appropriate destinations, which offer educational value to the students.

“Students in pre- primary and primary are too small to be taken to out- of- the- state destinations, as it poses several risks,” said Ramchandra Jadhav, deputy director, Pune division, which includes Pune and Solapur districts. “Schools can take students to water-bodies and hill- stations, but only if they take responsibility for their safety.”

Experts from the city demanded that similar guidelines be framed for Mumbai region as well.

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