IE: Schools cant shrug off responsibility for accidents: Parents: December 08, 2010

Schools cant shrug off responsibility for accidents: Parents……Dipti Sonawala

Schools make parents sign forms which absolve them of any responsibility in case of accidents during trips

SCHOOLS MAKE PARENTS SIGN FORMS WHICH ABSOLVE THEM OF ANY RESPONSIBILITY IN CASE OF ACCIDENTS DURING TRIPS

PARENTS in the city have raised an objection to the disclaimer forms that schools make them sign, absolving the authorities of any damage, injury, accident and even loss of life during school excursions.
The move came after a Mumbai student was killed in a mishap during a school picnic in Aurangabad. On December 3, a Class X student of St. Francis D’Assisi High School in Borivali died after falling from a mini train during a picnic at Gyaneshwari Udyan in Aurangabad.

A group of parents and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) United Forum have written to the education department to direct schools to scrap such disclaimer forms.

Arundhati Chavan, president of the forum, said: School managements cannot get such forms signed by parents and shirk their responsibility. Many a times, students are so eager to go on school excursions that parents are forced to sign the forms. We will call for a meeting of our members

and PTA members of respective schools to decide on the course of action.”
Nalini Wagh, a parent, said: “I had written to the deputy director of school education, Mumbai, to intervene and disallow the schools from getting such disclaimer forms signed. I did not get any reply from them, so I have decided to follow this up with the director of school education in Pune.”

Parents claimed this was not the first time they have objected to picnic disclaimer forms. But after a few tragedies during pic nics this year, they want to get the forms scrapped.

Another parent, Mohammed Afzal said, Last year, I had written to the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court to take suo moto action against this rule. We are planning to meet the authorities of the education department and urge them to scrap this rule.

However, schools said they need security as much as parents do. There is one per cent chance of such tragedies taking place. That does not mean the school and its staff do not ensure the safety of their students.

If the schools are making it compulsory for the parents to sign such forms and send their kids to excursions, they are free to raise their objections, said Dr Rekha Vijaykar, director of Guru Harkrishan School in Santacruz.

WHEN PICNICS TURNED INTO TRAGEDIES

* AUGUST 27, 2010: A class VIII student of a Nallasopara school, Aishwarya Pawar, drowned in the Tungareshwar Bird Sanctuary waterfall during a school picnic

* DECEMBER 23, 2009: A student of Jijamata Convent School in Koparkhairane, Chirag Patel (11), died after drowning in the filtration tank of a swimming pool at Sentosa resort in Lonavla

* APRIL 27, 2008: Snehal Pawar, a Pune student, died after drowning in a swimming pool of Sentosa Resort in Lonavla

* JANUARY 11, 2008: 19 children were injured in a toy train mishap when they were on a school picnic in Thakur village, Kandivali

http://epaper.indianexpress.com/IE/IEH/2010/12/08/ArticleHtmls/08_12_2010_523_038.shtml?Mode=0