When you choose a school or an educational institution for your child, I am sure you look at the school’s reputation, infrastructure, faculty and quality of teaching. But do you ever do a “safety check” on the school? It’s time parents looked at this aspect of schooling more seriously. After all, your child spends about eight hours every day in school.

Remember the devastating fire that razed Sri Krishna School in Kumbakonam, killing nearly a 100 children in July 2004? Or the Dabwali tragedy in Haryana in 1995, where the shamiana put up for a function at the DAV Public School caught fire, resulting in the death of 441 children? A fire can start in any school. A short-circuiting of the power line is a common source. The school canteen or kitchen is equally susceptible. A mishap in the chemistry lab can lead to a fire. So find out how well the school is prepared to prevent fires and in case of an accident, to contain it and evacuate students to safety.

Lightning is another cause for concern. Last year, as many as 40 people were killed in Jharkhand alone due to lightning. At the Green Garden Middle and High School in Ranchi, for example, even as the children sat listening to their teacher, the lightning struck, immediately killing six and injuring as many as 25. According to the National Crime Record Bureau, 1,507 people died in different parts of India due to lightning in 2001. In 2004, in Orissa alone, 300 people died after being struck by lightning. So parents must insist on lightning protection systems in every school building.

Parents also need to look at building safety in its entirety. Are the staircase railings strong enough to take the weight of children who may come down leaning on them? Do the windows of all upper floors have protective grills? Are the glass panes on the windows properly fixed? In July 2003, young Bhavna’s forehead was split by a glass pane that came crashing down from the first floor window of St Mark’s school in Meera Bagh, New Delhi.

Besides the National Building Code, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has brought out a code of practice for fire safety exclusively for educational institutions. This must be enforced all over the country.

Hundreds of children who perished in the Kumbakonam and Dabwali fires will not have died in vain if we pick up the lessons which we ought to from these terrible tragedies and start asking some relevant questions pertaining to safety.