New Delhi, Oct. 30: Schools and colleges can no longer conduct study tours or excursions without first informing the Union tourism and culture ministry, according to guidelines the Supreme Court wants the ministry to frame.

Petitions had cited the poor safety measures on Goa beaches and alleged several students on study tour had drowned.

The court said as a rule, institutions should not organise risky tours, such as those to Goa during the wet season.

The ministry should consider making institutions accountable for the safety of students on trips, it added.

“Schools and colleges should write to the ministry giving details of the trip, place, locale, number of students, etc…. The ministry should call for opinion on the dos and don’ts from experts, local authorities and (issue) specific guidelines to the school/college,” the court said.

If a tour is part of the curriculum and compulsory, the institute must mention the work involved in it in a circular. “If it was optional, that fact has to be brought to a parent’s notice.” In either case, one parent’s written consent must be taken “irrespective of whether the child was a major or minor”.

The school or college must draw up a detailed itinerary and inform the students and their parents, mentioning the place of stay and other arrangements before the start of the tour.

The judges said local authorities at the destination should be informed in advance so that police, ambulances, nursing homes and doctors can be kept on standby.

If students are taken to a beach, at least one lifeguard must be arranged for every 15 students.

The bench told the ministry to frame the guidelines immediately and circulate them among educational institutions, but did not set a deadline.