Parliament Question: Safety Audit of Schools

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION AND LITERACY LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 343 ANSWERED ON 18.08.2025 Safety Audit of Schools *343. Dr. Alok Kumar Suman:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government proposes to carry out/undertake safety audit of all the schools in the country to prevent the death of students, if so, the details thereof;

(b) the details of measures taken by the Government to prevent the death of students due to collapse of the school buildings in the country; and

(c) the stipulated timeframe for the completion of safety audit of the schools along with the details of other preventive measures taken by the Government in this regard? ANSWER MINISTER OF EDUCATION (SHRI DHARMENDRA PRADHAN)

(a) to (c): A Statement is laid on the table of the House. ******STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (c) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 343 FOR 18.08.2025 ASKED BY HON’BLE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN REGARDING SAFETY AUDIT OF SCHOOLS

(a) to (c): Education is in the Concurrent list of the Constitution and majority of the schools are under the administrative control of respective State Government and UT Administration.

Guidelines issued by Ministry of Education are advisory in nature and States/UTs are expected to implement them and they may incorporate additions/modifications to them, according to their specific requirements.

The Ministry of Education has issued a latest directive on 26th July 2025 to all States and Union Territories to take urgent steps to ensure the student safety and well-being. This refers to the "Guidelines on School Safety and Security" (2021) and the National Disaster Management Guidelines on School Safety (NDMA, 2016) issued on 27.02.2017 and includes safety audits of schools and child-related facilities as per national safety codes, training for staff and students in emergency preparedness, and the provision of psychosocial support through counselling and peer networks. The Ministry has urged Education Departments, School Boards, and affiliated authorities to act without delay in implementing these measures. The directives are available on

the link: https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/ss2607.pdf Further, the Ministry of Education on 7th August 2025, has directed all States/UTs to ensure the structural safety of school buildings and urgent identification of unsafe and dilapidated school buildings through safety audits, followed by demolition, if required or repair of structurally unsafe structures, and prohibition of use, until certified safe. Authorities are advised to arrange temporary schooling where needed, gainfully use the space created due to demolition, ensure regular monitoring and reporting, and ensure safety/ structural fitness compliance certification for any re-occupancy. States/ UTs are instructed to strictly enforce the above measures and avoid any further injuries and loss of life due to preventable infrastructure failures. The directives are available on the link:

https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/update/ss07008.pdf Earlier, Government of India has issued various guidelines for ensuring safety and security of children in schools, as under: -

1. Guidelines on School Safety and Security by Department of School Education and Literacy issued on 01.10.2021. These guidelines are uploaded on the website of DoSEL at

https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/2021-10/guidelines_sss.pdf

2. Guidelines on School Safety Policy by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA, 2016) issued on 27.02.2017. These guidelines are available at the link:

https://dsel.education.gov.in/sites/default/files/rte/Guidelines_feb.pdf

3. NCPCR examined and compiled different guidelines and developed a comprehensive manual titled- “Manual on Safety and Security of Children in Schools” dated 26.02.2018. The

manual is available at the link:

https://ncpcr.gov.in/uploads/165604923562b54e531fe87_manual-on-safety-and-security-of- children-in-schools-sep-2021-2465-kb.pdf These guidelines interalia contain provisions for ensuring the safety and security of children in schools and fixing the accountability of various stakeholders and different departments.

The guidelines aim to foster collaboration among stakeholders for a safe school environment, raise awareness of existing safety policies, clarify roles in implementation, assignaccountability for child safety during school activities and transportation, and enforce a strict „Zero Tolerance Policy‟ against negligence.

The NDMA guidelines provide for monitoring of implementation of the National Disaster Management Guidelines on School Safety Policy on designated activities like conducting safety audits, annual mock drills, installation of fire-extinguishers, training of students and teachers in school safety and disaster preparedness, adherence to safety norms with respect to storage of inflammable and toxic material and grant of recognition certificate only to those schools that comply with structural safety norms specifically pertain to fire safety.

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