Lok Sabha Question No. 3622 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-15
Subject: Disaster Management Education in Schools
Ministry: HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Sangeeta Kumari Singh Deo, Rahul Ramesh Shewale, Bhartruhari Mahtab

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3622 TO BE ANSWERED ON 15.07.2019

## Disaster Management Education in Schools

## 3622. SHRIMATI  SANGEETA KUMARI  SINGH  DEO: SHRI RAHUL RAMESH SHEWALE: SHRI  BHARTRUHARI MAHTAB:

Will the Minister of HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  disaster   management education are being  given to school children, both in Government and private schools of the country including Delhi to be prepared for any kind of  eventuality in the school premises during disasters;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  been  providing  training  and  use  of  certain  gadgets  to students in schools to avoid stampede, to  make  them  aware  about  fire  escape routes, and quick response during disaster like situation in the country, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (d) the details of discussions held with disaster  management  institutes  of  other countries for  imparting  disaster management  education  to  students  in schools during each of the last three years and the current year; and
- (e) the other steps taken/being taken by the Government in this direction?

## A N S W E R

## MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (SHRI RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK')

(a) & (b): The  National  Curriculum  Framework  (NCF),  2005  developed  by  National Council of Educational Research  & Training (NCERT) emphasizes on providing space for the  awareness  and  management  of  natural  and  human  generated  disasters in  school curriculum  across  the  subject  areas  at  all  the  stages  in  its  syllabi  and  textbooks.    Disaster Management  and  natural  calamities  are  not  taught  as  separate  subjects  in  schools;  instead their references are integrated across the disciplines viz Social Science and Science at upper primary, secondary and senior secondary levels. As education is in the Concurrent List of the Constitution, majority of the schools are under the jurisdiction of respective States/UTs.

(c): The  Department  of  School  Education  &  Literacy,  Ministry  of  Human  Resource Development  (MHRD) has  written  to  all  the  States  and  UTs  vide  letter  dated  01.09.2017 regarding the National Disaster Management  Guidelines  on  School  Safety. It  was emphasized  that  the  guidelines  on  School  Safety  Policy,  2016  prepared  by  the  National Disaster  Management  Authority  (NDMA)  are  statutory  in  nature  and  are  required  to  be complied  without  any  deviation.    The  NDMA  guidelines  provide  for  conducting  quarterly safety audits by the School Management Committee (SMC) in schools including fire safety and food safety.  The guidelines are in public domain and hosted on www.mhrd.gov.in.

The Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools developed by the National Commission  for  Protection  of  Child  Rights  (NCPCR)  has  also  identified  authorities  at different levels such as School Management Committee, Parent Teacher Association, School Management,  authorities  at  Block,  District,  State  and  National  levels  to  monitor  the implementation of the manual. The details are in public domain and hosted on www.ncpcr.gov.in.

All schools under Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangthan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS) and Central  Tibetan  Schools  Administration  (CTSA)  conduct  mock-drills, training, and use of certain gadgets like fire extinguishers for the benefit of students.

(d) The  Department  of  School  Education  & Literacy,  MHRD  has  not  held  any consultation with disaster  management  institutes  of  other countries  for  imparting  disaster management  education  to  students  in schools.

(e) The  MHRD  has  issued  detailed  guidelines  on  safety  and  security  of  children  vide letter dated 09.10.2014 to all State and UT Governments suggesting preventive institutional mechanisms and procedures that should be put in place in the schooling system along with the  relief  and  redressal  strategies  in  case  of  such  incidents.    The  guidelines  cover  various aspects  related  to the  safety  and  security  of school children  including  infrastructure  which includes physical structures of school building, play ground, water bodies, electrical and fire safety  mechanism,  school  transport  etc.  health  and  hygiene  which  includes  drinking  water hygiene, toilets hygiene, food safety and hygiene in mid-day meal; psychosocial aspect which includes  elimination  of  corporal  punishment,  eveteasing/sexual  abuse,  school  environment; role and responsibility of teachers in monitoring, Monitoring and implementation mechanism of the guidelines is also provided.

The Department of School Education & Literacy has again advised all States and UTs on  11.09.2017  to  sensitize  the  entire  administrative  and  monitoring  machinery  towards effective  implementation  of  the  guidelines  on  safety  and  security  of  school  children;  and institutionalizing and ensuring a safe, secure and vibrant environment in schools for children.

Also the schools affiliated to CBSE are required to follow the guidelines relating to safety of children in schools, including the following:-

- (i) The  guidelines  issued  by  the  Hon'ble  Supreme  Court  of  India  in  Writ  Petition (Civil)  No.  483  of  2004  in  the  matter  of  Avinash  Mehrotra  (Petitioner)  Versus Union of India & Others (Respondents);
- (ii) The  guidelines  on  School  Safety  Policy,  2016  issued  by  the  NDMA  which  is statutory in nature;
- (iii) Manual on Safety and security of children in schools developed by NCPCR &
- (iv) National Building Code-2005, as amended from time to time.

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