GUWAHATI, April 13 � It could be a disaster in the making, and tragically it would be man-made. Enquiries made by The Assam Tribune have revealed that scores of schools across Assam have never had a single session on emergency drill or evacuation exercise to cope with fire or natural disasters. Even in Guwahati, with multi-storey schools and unplanned power lines, several schools are yet to witness an emergency exercise engaging students, teachers and staff.
The present scenario appears all the more bizarre when authorities concerned harp on the need to stay prepared in the event of a disaster, preparedness that helps reduce deaths and injuries to people.
Equally weird is the absence of much-needed initiative as the entire state stretches over a seismic zone, where devastation caused by earthquake in the past survives in living memory.
Interestingly, it is not just government schools which have been left out of the net of disaster management, but many private schools too have never seen any training of teachers or students, which reveals their callous attitude to safety of young children.
Jyoti Sarma, a mother of two, said that elder son has never attended any class or session where a teacher or a resource person spoke about the dos and donts with regard to earthquake or fire. Not surprisingly, she gets worried every time there is a report of an earthquake. �Little ones like my son would simply fail to respond in an appropriate manner!� she noted.
Other parents who spoke to this correspondent revealed that schools have barely dwelt on the topic, even though the critical value of emergency drills and evacuation process is a recognised fact. Pranjit Das, father of a young daughter was of the view that schools must have trained people who repeatedly demonstrate and test emergency procedures among pupils.
A few guardians pointed out that having mock drills would not be enough, and every school building should have dedicated emergency access points which can be used in case of evacuation. Others insisted that schools must have provision for basic fire fighting and staff trained to handle the equipment.
When contacted, a senior government official stated that various district administrations were authorised to ensure that safety drills were organised in schools. However, he agreed that the target audience has not been reached to the desired extent due to circumstances beyond the control of district administrations.
A well-placed source in the Kamrup District administration, who wished anomymity said, �A module is ready, and a proposal has been sent to the government, but we have to receive the funds to implement it�. It was further stated that there was no dearth of resource people to carry out the training programme that would build up teachers as master trainers.
Another concern in this regard has been the apathy of the some school managements in getting in touch with the district administration or competent authorities to bring in training programmes. Even a number of elite schools have not treated this as a priority issue, a matter of worry for parents who can do precious little.
