The Haryana Human Rights Commission on Tuesday took suo motu cognizance of 27 government schools functioning in unsafe buildings in Hisar district and directed officials to make safe arrangements for students within eight weeks.
“Multiple government schools continue to function in buildings that have been officially declared condemned due to their unsafe structural condition. Children, some as young as six years old, are being exposed daily to unsafe structures, many of which include broken staircases, damaged water tanks, sealed toilets and unstable walls and roofs,” the three-member commission, led by justice Lalit Batra (retd), said.
The panel said that the ground situation in Hisar district reveals not merely administrative negligence but threat to the safety, dignity and psychological well-being of schoolchildren. It observed that the absence of safety protocols amounts to a direct and deliberate compromise with the lives of the students.
“Such conditions not only violate the physical safety of the students but also result in mental trauma, fear, and academic disruption undermining their right to education in a safe environment,” said justice Batra, adding “During monsoon, there is a risk of exposure to snakes and other threats due to the lack of proper infrastructure. In severe instances, entire school buildings, including toilets, staircases and kitchens, have been rendered unusable.”
The panel said it is the constitutional duty of the state government and the department of education to ensure the safety of students. It said that the failure to provide basic infrastructure, including structurally safe buildings, toilets, water and classrooms, particularly after buildings have been officially declared unsafe, constitutes criminal abdication of duty and gross violation of child safety norms under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
{{/usCountry}}The panel said it is the constitutional duty of the state government and the department of education to ensure the safety of students. It said that the failure to provide basic infrastructure, including structurally safe buildings, toilets, water and classrooms, particularly after buildings have been officially declared unsafe, constitutes criminal abdication of duty and gross violation of child safety norms under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
{{/usCountry}}The commission said after seven students were killed and 28 injured when a building collapsed in neighbouring Rajasthan recently, the state government should take proactive measures to ensure no such tragedy occurs in Haryana.
It directed the principal secretary, school education, director general of secondary education, Hisar deputy commissioner and additional deputy commissioner along with the district education officer to submit a report about the status of each condemned building and safe arrangements for students within eight weeks.
The panel also sought a timeline for reconstruction and budget allocation, number of students impacted, alternate accommodation provided or proposed and explain the delay in the reconstruction/relocation despite condemnation of buildings.