Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson Kripa Amar Alva has directed the Education Department officials to compulsorily form alumni associations in all government schools within one month and report back to the commission.
Speaking at a meeting of officials to review academic and infrastructure development in the government school here on Wednesday, Ms. Alva said that government schools should form alumni associations and involve their respective alumni in the school development programme instead of totally relying on the government for financial and other support. This model has been implemented in some of the schools of the State and the committee wants that it should be replicated in all districts. Ms. Alva has set July 28 as the deadline for registering alumni associations.
Ms. Alva also told Deputy Commissioner S.B. Bommanahalli and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Snehal Ramanavar to convene a meeting of major industries, voluntary organisations and other stakeholders in the district and take their help in school development works. It was necessary that government schools should be improved in matters of academics and infrastructure to accommodate children remaining out of schools. It was also necessary to improve student turnout in government schools, she added.
During a review of school infrastructure in the district, the officials said that the schools in the district required additional toilets, including 1,935 for boys, 881 for girls and 80 for children with special needs. Also, of the 763 government schools, most have no pure drinking water units. As many as 504 schools do not have compound walls. While 774 were in need of major repair works, 1,680 required minor repair works. All schools have lighting facility but no fans in classrooms, they said.
Expressing concern over this, Ms. Alva told the officials to focus on constructing compound walls in all schools considering the safety of children. Similarly, priority should be given for installing pure drinking water units and construction of toilets in schools. Besides, it was required to install fans in classrooms as it was found that children’s health was affected to due climate change and rise in temperature, she added.
Later, speaking to presspersons, Ms. Alva said that the commission would recommend to the State government the steps to be taken for improving academics and infrastructure in government schools.
The commission had taken several steps to prevent child marriages in north Karnataka. In Belagavi, it had prevented 70 child marriages, while in Kalaburagi, the number of such cases was 80, she said.
