Lucknow: Giving top priority to the safety of school children, Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to conduct a comprehensive safety audit and risk assessment in all government and government-aided schools across the state. Under this initiative, safety arrangements in a total of 1,40,555 institutions, including primary, upper primary, composite, secondary and Kasturba Gandhi residential girls’ schools, will be evaluated. This initiative is expected to provide lakhs of students with a safer and more secure learning environment.
As part of this ambitious program, schools in all districts of the state will be assessed on scientific and technical parameters. A detailed inspection will be conducted covering various aspects related to student safety, including the structural condition of school buildings, fire safety, electrical safety, disaster preparedness, sanitation facilities, entry and exit systems and overall campus security. Potential safety risks will be identified and detailed recommendations for corrective measures will also be prepared.
Basic and Secondary Education Departments signed an agreement on Friday with Bennett Coleman and Company Limited, the agency selected through a transparent and rule-based tender process conducted via Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal of Government of India. Present on the occasion were Director General School Education, Ms. Monika Rani, In-charge Director Secondary Education, Surendra Kumar Tiwari, Director Basic Education, Pratap Singh Baghel and from BCCL, Chief Business Officer Mr. Kuldeep Pathak and Chief Manager & Regional Lead Mr. Brijesh Kumar Mishra.
According to officials, the program will not be limited to reviewing safety standards alone, but will also play a significant role in developing a long-term system for safety awareness and risk management in schools. This will strengthen the confidence of students, teachers and parents, while helping create a safe and conducive environment for quality education.
The service provider agency will identify safety-related risks for each school and provide corrective recommendations to help prevent potential accidents in the future and ensure a protected learning environment.
State government aims to establish the highest standards of safety in every government and government-aided school across Uttar Pradesh. Officials stated that this initiative will prove to be a significant step towards strengthening the state’s education system and positioning Uttar Pradesh as a model for student-centric and safe school education.
