THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Urgent steps should be taken to ensure safety and study-travel convenience of students in view of school reopening, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
He was instructing the departments and agencies at a high-level meeting convened here in view of the new academic year beginning next month. He prioritised the stability of school buildings following the floods that hit the state last year.
“The safety of all the school buildings should be ensured. Hence the safety check should be done immediately. An alternative facility should be arranged for students if the construction of classrooms has not finished,” Vijayan said.
“The trees which may pose threat during heavy winds and rain should be cut down immediately to avoid any untoward incidents. Preventive measures should be taken to avoid electrical accidents by removing any damaged electric posts or lines,” said the Chief Minister.
Vijayan also instructed the Transport Department to ensure safety in school buses. “Stringent measures should be taken against the drunk school bus drivers. The police should intervene when the private buses do not stop at bus stops. Special arrangements should be taken to ensure hassle-free commute of students in KSRTC buses as there is an insufficient number of bus drivers,” he said.
The Chief Minister said private buses ferrying students should ensure that the vehicles are safe to travel.
“Private vehicles should not carry beyond the seating capacity and stringent action will be taken if the vehicles are found to be overloaded with children. The Motor Vehicle Department and police should take care of this,” Vijayan said.
“PTA meetings should be held earlier and should ensure that the monthly meetings are convened in schools. The teachers should observe the students to keep a check on the behavioural change owing to drugs. All the shops, cool bars, hotels in the 200 meter limit of the schools should be checked periodically. Timely awareness classes can reduce such practices among the teenager student”, Vijayan said.
Education Minister C Raveendranath, Transport Minister A K Saseendran, Chief Secretary Tom Jose, State Police Chief Loknath Behera, Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh, Additional Chief Secretary Biswas Mehta, Road Safety Commissioner Shanker Reddy and KSRTC MD M P Dinesh attended the meeting.