The death of young people is tragic. Too many are plucked in their infancy for a variety of reasons. It becomes particularly poignant when young schoolchildren die because those supposed to guard them have misplaced priorities, like in putting commerce above imparting education.
For instance, the death of a Delhi first grader because a water tank on the campus was left improperly covered represents the worst of carelessness. The school picnic drowning deaths in Maharashtra may be a terrible accident caused by typical student high jinks on outings, but there were teachers present who should have known better when there were signs warning people of treacherous waters.
Governments are known to swing into action when tragedy occurs. Delhi has called for safety reports from all schools and a task force to verify safety measures. The responsibilities on schools are enormous. They also have to deal with young, inquisitive and adventurous minds.
But unless schools form their own task forces and pay utmost attention to safety audits, including in their infrastructure, there is no way they can guarantee the safety of their students. School committees must do meticulous work regarding safety. Schools also need to create awareness about safety in their wards. Classes for an hour a week on safety and the use of Facebook and other social media to highlight problems in schools would help more than reacting to events after lives are lost. Young people deserve to live full and fulfilling lives and they must be taught how to achieve that.
