Students’ safety

Much has been written about the tragic death of the eight-year-old student of Ananda College, Colombo, who was apparently pinned against a wall by a ground roller he and a few of his friends were playing with. This tragedy could indeed have been prevented if a few precautionary steps had been taken.

This evoked a particularly emotional response from the public mainly because of the very nature of the accident and the fact that it happened right inside a school.

While this was the only school accident that resulted in a death of a child in recent times, there have been plenty of other incidents where the children barely escaped with their lives. One very recent example was the incident where a javelin got embedded in the cheek of a student just below the right eye. We also remember how a renowned educationist lost one of his sons a couple of decades back when a leather ball struck his head. Plenty of other injuries are reported daily from schools around the island, especially during playtime/interval.

Although this particular column will not focus on road accidents, several schoolchildren are killed and injured every month on our deadly roads. Most, if not all, of these accidents inside and outside schools can be prevented.

In the case of the tragic death of the Ananda College student, questions have been raised as to why the heavy ground roller was not stored away from children, why the children were not under supervision and whether there was any delay in taking the child to hospital. Indeed, any equipment that is likely to cause injury to students must be kept away from students and used only when necessary.

At least one teacher should be around when children play and teachers should advise children playing with any objects likely to cause injury or any situations that could lead to injury. Most schools which have swimming pools do have a lifeguard on duty and perhaps a similar response is called for at other times as well. Mechanisms should be evolved to respond faster to any accident inside a school.

Additional cost

As these suggestions show, schools must focus more on the safety of students. There is hardly any additional cost for taking extra steps to ensure students’ safety. Parents leave their children at the school gate expecting the school to look after them with care until closing time. If a school is unable to discharge their responsibility in that regard for 6-7 hours at least, parents are likely to lose their confidence in schools and teachers.

Schools already have various Parent Teacher Associations and Development Boards. It will not be difficult to convene School Safety Boards comprising teachers, parents, senior students and even an outside safety expert to assess and safeguard school safety. Some countries already have this system. In fact, our education authorities should study the safety models of top schools abroad and adapt any appropriate steps.

They can periodically inspect the entire school to check whether there are any safety loopholes that might pose a danger to teachers and students. The minor workers of the school should essentially be a part of this exercise since they know where sports and other equipment are stored. All sports must be conducted with the proper safety gear in place.

Newspapers have also reported that the Education Ministry plans to bring stringent laws for the safety of students. This is a welcome move and we hope the laws and regulations will be open for debate in the wider society before they are passed. There are many who would like to contribute their ideas and even their labour to save the precious lives of children. All those ideas should be considered in formulating such laws.

Ensuring the safety of students should be a prime duty of schools, but that does not mean that parents can shirk their responsibility in that department. Indeed, safety should begin at home. We hear of plenty of incidents where children have died in their homes due to various unfortunate accidents. In one tragic incident reported recently, a three-year-old child died when the TV set fell on top of him. We also hear of children who had consumed kerosene, which looks exactly like certain soft drinks. It is also common knowledge that medicines and all poisons must be kept away from the reach of children. Parents must advise children on safety issues from a young age. Pre-schools, where we learn most life skills (such as using a pair of scissors) must also teach children on safety.

Cycling accidents

Cycling is another safety hazard. Since helmets are not legally required for cyclists in Sri Lanka, plenty of children get injured in cycling accidents. It is vital that they are educated on road rules. They should first ride with an adult alongside before being allowed to ride on main roads alone. Parents should also decide whether to buy helmets for these young riders, the only caveat being that cycling helmets are somewhat expensive.

If they can be manufactured locally, more people will be able to afford them. We have also seen how fully helmeted parents accompany children who are not wearing any protective headgear on motorcycles. Since children grow so fast, most parents are reluctant to spend money on helmets which have to be changed frequently.

However, if the safety of their child is paramount, this perception has to be changed. Many lives can be saved if more children wear helmets, even if it is not strictly required by law.

School van and bus drivers must also be more safety conscious. Most conductors allow schoolchildren to ride on the foot-board disregarding all safety instructions. Many school vans are also driven recklessly which puts the lives of children at risk.

Sri Lanka has declared a National Safety Day on December 26, which marks the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. This day should be an eye-opener to all those who have to ensure the safety of children, whether in school or at home, with programs formulated to highlight the importance of safety.