The Higher Education Department is preparing a detailed circular on the precautionary measures to be taken while conducting disaster preparedness drills at colleges in the State to ensure the safety of students, Higher Education Minister K.P. Anbalagan has said.
Referring to the death of a student during an unauthorised disaster preparedness drill at a college in Coimbatore, Mr. Anbalagan told mediapersons here on Saturday that there was a need to plan and manage disaster preparedness programmes with the available resources.
Such training camps should be conducted by engaging well-trained experts after taking all precautionary measures. The tragedy [in Coimbatore] could have been avoided, had trained experts conducted the drill, the Minister said.
The Higher Education Department had, in the past, forwarded circulars to educational institutions on such training programmes and the security measures to be adopted while conducting them.
The department has started preparing a detailed circular, including various new aspects of, and conditions to be fulfilled for conducting such drills. The circular will be ready by Tuesday, and will be sent to all higher educational institutions soon, the Minister said.
When asked what action should be taken against the college management over the student’s death, the Minister said a police investigation was already on.
