Elaborate arrangements for school reopening in Kerala

The Hindu

14-05-2025

The General Education department is making elaborate arrangements for the reopening of schools in Kerala on June 2 with focus on school and student safety, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said.
At a press conference here on Wednesday, the Minister said fitness certificate for school buildings from the local self-government concerned was mandatory.
School premises should be cleaned up with the support of parent-teacher associations, local self-government institutions, voluntary organisations or alumni to ensure safety and avoid any hazardous or risky situations. Schools should also ensure that their environment is conducive to studies by making them attractive.
Travel safety
Schools should ensure that students can travel safely from home to school and back. They should review precautions to ensure student safety when the children take public transport, school bus, or use private vehicles or water transport for travel, or cross road or railway lines.
The Minister said strict action would be taken if private buses did not allow students to board or did not halt at bus stops. Buses should stop for stipulated times at bus stops so that students get adequate time to board or get off the vehicles. If students were found travelling on footboard of buses, it should be brought to the attention of the authorities and action should be taken.
The guidelines of the Motor Vehicles department on the maximum number of students allowed on school buses and the fitness of the vehicle should be observed strictly. Steps should also be taken to hold discussions with authorities or associations concerned to ensure guidelines for safe travel on autorickshaws, taxis, vans, and private buses were being followed.
Behaviour of employees on buses used by students should be analysed and police clearance certificate taken for them.
Authorities should ensure curbs on heavy vehicles, especially goods vehicles, during the students' commuting time. The Minister said classes on substance abuse, vehicle use, preventing violence, personal hygiene, clean surroundings, lack of emotional control, damaging public property, legal awareness, health check-ups, mobile phone addiction, and social media addiction would be taken for two weeks from June 2 and for one week from July 18.
Mental health training
A four-day training would be held for Souhruda club coordinators in 1,680 government and aided higher secondary schools to improve students' mental health. Directions have been given to improve mentoring in schools, maintain constant contact with students, and maintain a diary on it.
Inauguration of awareness programme against suicides and a programme on exam fear would be launched at the State-level Pravesanolsavam in Alappuzha.
Hygiene of school kitchens and equipment and utensils used there should be ensured. It should be ensured that grains whose expiry period is over and other such provisions were not used. Health cards for cooking staff were a must. Midday meals should be given the day schools reopened, the Minister said.