Delhi's Directorate of Education issues safety guidelines for all educational institutes
Jul 31, 2024
New Delhi [India], July 31 : The Directorate of Education of Delhi Government issued safety guidelines to all principals and heads of government, government-aided, and unaided private recognised schools on Wednesday after the tragic deaths of three UPSC aspirants who died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching institute on July 27.
According to the guidelines, the basements of a school building are permissible for activities as per the master plan or the sanctioned plan for that building.
It also mentioned that all gates of a school building shall be functional and opened for entry and exit, as well as that access to the basement shall be marked properly and clearly stated in the school evacuation plan.
All the corridors shall be free from obstructions at all times and smooth passage shall be ensured, as well as regular checks for water accumulation in school corridors and staircases.
The Directorate also mentioned that all necessary steps should be taken at the school level to avoid water logging in and around school premises and electrical wiring and fittings, including appliances, shall be checked and all safety norms shall be followed to avoid any kind of untoward-related incident. The school should have all requisite fire safety measures in place, as the guidelines stated.
Today, Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena also directed the Chief Secretary of Delhi to head a committee comprising 5-6 representatives of coaching institutions, representatives of students and officials of concerned departments to address all issues related to regulation, exorbitant rental by landlords, fire clearances, desilting of drains and other immediate needs of the students to create a conducive educational environment.
He further stated that the Committee shall prepare a long-term and short-term action plan for gradually shifting the coaching institutes from various locations to a well-planned area.
This came after the LG convened a meeting on July 30 with senior management of over 21 private coaching institutes, including their federation, senior officers of Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, Vice-Chairman of Delhi Development Authority and representatives of students.
