In a bid to battle the blaze before it breaks out, the government is planning to make it mandatory for all schools to appoint at least one attendant for every 100 students who can guide them through an emergency evacuation, in the event of a fire or any other disaster.

Education officials said on Thursday that teaching and non-teaching staff members would also be expected to have “adequate knowledge” of using fire-extinguishers and of evacuation methods for children.

There are at least 2,500 primary and secondary institutions in Calcutta, a large number of which are located in congested localities or are accessible only through narrow approaches, education department sources said.

Following the Kumbakonam tragedy, in which children were engulfed by a school fire, a preliminary review carried out by the school education and fire services departments has revealed that a number of schools in the city have very narrow entrances. “It would be very difficult to evacuate students from school if a fire broke out,” state school education minister Kanti Biswas said on Thursday.

The government has already prepared a set of guidelines that all schools must adopt. Apart from the one attendant per 100 students rule, the specifications include:

• Every school must have at least two exit doors and all classrooms must directly lead to a corridor that is at least 1.5 m wide

• Exit must be free from any kind of obstruction

• Exit and corridors must be adequately illuminated

• Exit directional signs and floor numbers must be displayed prominently

• Lobby approach and staircase must be well-ventilated

• Space beneath staircase and landing must not be used as storage

• Non-combustible material must be used for staircase construction and escape route

• Kitchen provision — if any — must be far from the main school building

• Chemical laboratories must have trained laboratory assistants and regular monitoring of LPG and Bunsen burners

• Regular monitoring of electric connections

• Any school building over 14.5 m high must have an underground water reservoir of minimum 50,000-litres capacity, with hose reel system at staircase landings.

Immediately after the Tamil Nadu tragedy, the government had announced in the Assembly that fire-safety measures would be introduced in all schools, especially Montessori and kindergarten schools.

“It would be mandatory for all schools to adhere to the guidelines fixed by us,” education minister Biswas stressed on Thursday, adding that narrow entrance and exit routes were a far greater hazard in congested Calcutta and in the bigger district towns.

The government will soon host a workshop for education department officials, including teachers, to spread the fire-safety word before issuing a circular.