Safety audit in Chennai schools before reopening after rains

“We had inspectors from the Corporation visit the school campus and checked the conditions thoroughly, before giving us the go-ahead to reopen the school, after a week-long holiday due to the rain,” said Jayarani, the Correspondent of the school. The School Education Department had sent out a circular earlier this month regarding  precautions that schools need to take before reopening. 

“We have been asked to look into several factors. All the schools have to ensure that there is no water stagnation on the campus. We made sure that there was no water stagnation not only in the playground, but also in places like the terrace. We were also asked to make sure that sewage water did not mix with other water supply. We were also asked to check all the electrical points, to ensure the safety of all. Most importantly, schools have to carry out fumigation of the campus,” said T Venkatesh, of Chennai High School, Kancheepuram. Parents, on the other hand, are worried about the health of their children, considering the recent dengue outbreak. 

Members of  the PTAs in schools have also approached the respective administrations, to take measures safeguarding the health of students. “We had two meetings with the school Principal about the cleaning of the school. The weather is such that the kids are vulnerable to falling sick or catching infections. We have checked with the schools about their arrangements,” said G Mahesh, a parent. A senior School Education Department official said, “Clear instructions were given to the headmasters/headmistresses of all the schools (including the CBSE stream) and the designated inspectors visited the  school campuses to see that the schools were well prepared for the reopening.”