Kerala orders safety audit in schools after roof collapse, student’s death

NEW DELHI: The Kerala government on Monday announced that it would conduct an emergency safety audit in state-run schools, considering the safety of the children and institutions. The move comes after a portion of a roof collapsed in a government school in Alappuzha on July 20 and a 13-year-old boy died after suffering an electric shock on his school premises in Kollam on July 17.

Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty said a team of officials from the education department will visit each school and take stock of the situation and facilities there from July 25 to 31. The initiative would be implemented in a time-bound manner, he told reporters here. A meeting of higher officials of the education department would be conducted in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday ahead of the audit, he said. Designated officials should conduct checks in each institution during working hours, and a seven-member district-level official group would monitor things in this regard.

A state-level safety audit steering committee would be held on August 12 as part of the programme, the minister added. Sivankutty further said that steps have already been taken to shift the classes of the Karthikappally Government UPS School in Alappuzha , where a portion of the roof collapsed on July 21, to a newly constructed building. The roof and tiles of an unfit building, located in front of the school, had collapsed, he said, adding that the headmaster had informed senior officials that classes were not being held there.

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New building ready, says minister

A building worth Rs one crore has been completed using KIIFB funds, and the school headmaster has been instructed to shift classes to the new building on Tuesday itself, the minister added. A portion of the roof of the government upper primary school at Karthikappally collapsed on Sunday following heavy rains. No injuries were reported as the incident occurred on a holiday. Though the school authorities said no classes were being conducted in the specific building, parents of students told reporters that classes were going on in the building where the portion of the roof collapsed.

The school is reportedly more than 150 years old. More than 1,000 students are studying in the school, sources said. Meanwhile, activists of the Youth Congress and the ruling CPI(M) clashed with each other at the school on Monday. The violence erupted when a protest carried out by the YC activists, over the roof collapse, at the school was blocked by the Left workers. Sivankutty strongly condemned the incident and accused the Youth Congress of unleashing violence inside the school.

Mithun, a student at Thevalakkara Boys High School, died after coming into contact with a live electric wire on the school premises in Kollam. The incident occurred when he reportedly tried to retrieve a slipper that had fallen on top of the cycle shed adjacent to the school building, police said. A low-hanging electric wire was nearby, and Mithun was electrocuted while trying to retrieve his slipper.