Representative Image | Photo: Mathrubhumi
Thiruvananthapuram: When school reopening is round the corner, over 3000 schools including government and aided schools in the state failed to get fitness certificate. The schools that have roof made of tin, asbestos or aluminium did not get the fitness certificate after some local bodies decided to strictly implement stringent guidelines.
The Education Department had directed the schools to obtain the fitness certificate from the respective local bodies before October 16. But the local bodies refused to provide the certificate for many schools considering the substandard facilities.
The principal and the management will be the culprits if any accidents occur in the schools functioning without the fitness certificate. There will also be difficulty in collecting the salary of the school staff if the fitness certificate has not been procured within the time period prescribed by the local bodies.
There are 15,892 schools in the government, aided and unaided sectors of the state upto higher secondary level. The general secretary of the private (aided) school manager’s association said that 30 percent of these schools have roofs with sheets.
Several schools have changed the asbestos sheets on roof on the grounds of the high court order pointing to the health and environmental threat posed by the asbestos. Along with this, the Commission of Protection of Child Rights had earlier ordered to avoid use of tin and aluminium sheets.
However, the management and principals of the schools have decided to seek legal help if concessions were not granted to them. Meanwhile, Education Minister V Sivankutty has informed to convene a meeting with the local bodies over the need to change rooftop to get the fitness certificate.
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