Vijayawada: Schools care a hoot for safety

Vijayawada: Safety of children at corporate and private schools across the state is at stake after a kindergarten student of Chaitanya Techno school in Gannavaram, fell down from the third floor and survived after hanging on to the branch of a tree. Agitations taken up by parents and student associations were ignored by the education department.

Corporate schools running three to four campuses with only one recognition are ignoring the safety of children. Conducting classes for kindergarten and primary classes in fourth and fifth floors, ignoring the directions of the education department have become common. “Corporate schools which collect lakhs of rupees as admission fee for primary classes lack basic amenities. Conducting classes for LKG students in the third floor without a safety mesh for windows is not correct and the education department should take stringent action,” said A. Ravi Chandra, secretary of Progressive Democratic Student Union.

Parents of Nerusu Nihal who fell down from the school building on Wednesday are demanding action against the school management. “The management of Chaitanya school should be punished for their negligence. We would have lost our son and it was luck that saved him,” he said. “We have complained many times regarding the safety of the students and they have ignored our requests. My son is undergoing treatment and the education and police departments are trying to protect the school management,” said N. Anjaneyulu, father of Nihal.