Parliament Question: Safety Audits of School and Public Facilities Buildings

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4011 ANSWERED ON 18/08/2025 Safety Audits of School and Public Facilities Buildings

4011. Shri Dhairyasheel Sambhajirao Mane:

Shri Chavan Ravindra Vasantrao:

Shri Sudheer Gupta:

Shri Manish Jaiswal:

Shri Vijayakumar Alias Vijay Vasanth:

Shri Suresh Kumar Shetkar:

Shri Manickam Tagore B:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has directed all States/UTs to conduct safety audits of school and public facilities buildings used by children in accordance with national safety codes and disaster management guidelines, if so, the details thereof and response of the State Governments/UTs thereto;

(b) the details of key parameters likely to be assessed, outline the standard safety protocols and emergency preparedness measures during these audits;

(c) whether any timeline or schedule set for conducting comprehensive safety audits along with completion of these audits and submission of reports to the Government and if so, the details thereof;

(d) the details of safeguards put in place to ensure that the safety audits are conducted independently, transparently and without any bias or administrative interference;

(e) the details of mechanism put in place to monitor compliance and ensure remedial action in case of shortcomings found during the said audits;

(f) whether the Government made any provisions for financial assistance or budgetary allocations to enable under-resourced schools to implement safety measures and carry out audits as per norms and if so, the details thereof; and

(g) whether the Government also proposes to provide training and capacity-building programmes to staff and students for emergency preparedness in all the schools and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (SHRI JAYANT CHAUDHARY)

(a) to (g): 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 peernetworks. 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, assign accountability 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.

Under Samagra Shiksha scheme, budgetary provisions for the strengthening of school infrastructure, including financial support to address gaps found in safety audits, are available. Funds can be allocated for repairs, retrofitting, classroom, drinking water, electricity, toilets for girls, boys and CWSN, boundary walls and other civil works by including it in annual proposals by State/ UT governments. Supplementary resources are available through convergence with other departments/ Ministries including department of drinking water and sanitation, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development (MGNREGA), Ministry of Home Affairs

(NDRF), etc. *****