Strengthen disaster management plans to protect students

Natural calamities and war zones around the world have shown that children are the most vulnerable during such disasters, making it essential for schools to go the extra mile to ensure their safety. Over the years, many schools have been established in various parts of the holy city, necessitating the implementation of improved safety measures to prepare for any disaster scenario.

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Certain areas within schools, such as laboratories, parking lots and canteens, are particularly prone to mishaps. There is an urgent need to equip schools with better safety infrastructure. The National School Safety Programme (NSSP) has emphasised this, requiring selected master trainers from the city to undergo training at the National Institute of Disaster Management in New Delhi.

Surjit Sharma, Deputy Chief Warden of Civil Defence, is one of the master trainers from Amritsar who participated in such training sessions. He said city schools must have disaster management plans in place to address any eventuality and brush-up courses are vital for maintaining preparedness.

Disasters can be natural or man-made, and include earthquakes, floods, major fires, drug issues, road accidents and traffic safety concerns. To reduce vulnerability, schools must be constructed according to the established safety regulations by employing qualified structural engineers.

Before external help, such as the National Disaster Response Force based in Bathinda, arrives, students and teachers are taught to survive for up to three days in the event of a disaster. Experts assist schools in preparing plans that ensure they can survive post-disaster for three days, with provisions for ration supplies, medicines, health insurance cards, cash and important contact numbers like fire safety, hospitals and wardens of the area ready.

Both faculty and students must familiarise themselves with the school’s topography, geography and the locations of critical facilities such as hospitals, municipal corporations and district administration offices. Safety measures also include storing cylinders in secure locations to avoid accidents. In case of evacuation, teachers should monitor the students and only release them after confirming attendance. Schools must maintain records of students’ blood groups to ensure prompt medical assistance.

At present, many government and non-government schools in the city lack disaster management programmes and evacuation plans. Vulnerable areas within schools need to be identified by experts and rectified immediately. Every school must have a disaster management plan in place, and continuous training for students, teaching and non-teaching staff should be prioritised.

Disaster experts emphasise that the history of disasters shows that schools are often the most vulnerable to both natural and man-made calamities. Schools require enhanced safety plans, especially in areas like laboratories, kitchens or canteens, parking lots and unsafe buildings, Sharma added.

For instance, a fire outbreak during the Dabwali school prize distribution ceremony in 1995 resulted in the deaths of over 400 people, half of whom were students. Similarly, in 2001, the Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat led to the deaths of 31 teachers and 971 students, with 95 teachers and 1,051 students injured. Another devastating fire at Lord Krishna School in Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, claimed the lives of 94 children in 2004.