Student deaths: Govt schools overhaul health strategy

Hyderabad: In the wake of students’ deaths reported in govt-run residential schools due to food poisoning, various educational societies are now reworking their health strategies. Despite holding daily online coordination meetings with school principals, schools are planning to implement stringent health protocols for the safety of students.24X7 health centreThe tribal welfare schools across the state have set up a 24x7 ‘Gurukulam Health Command Center’ for easy access to aid. Additional secretary of the Telangana Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Society (TGTWREIS) Madhavi Latha said: “We have a dedicated in-house doctor who keeps tabs on all the health developments. The data is meticulously recorded from each school. This is held separately for each school on a daily basis for an overall picture”Food SafetyThe society is also designing posters for safety practices, including how to treat a snakebite victim. The food handlers and chefs in the schools have been directed to wash vegetables thoroughly before cooking. Alagu Varshini, secretary of the Telangana social welfare residential educational institutions society (TGSWREIS), announced plans to establish a revamped, holistic command centre similar to the tribal welfare model. She added, “In a few months, we aim to have a unified health record for all students, accessible via an app.” Addressing the recent student deaths, she explained, “We conduct a ‘death audit’ for any sudden student death — an institutional audit if it occurs at school, and a community-based audit if it happens at home.”‘She Teams’ set upAisha Masarath Khanam, Secretary of the Telangana minorities residential educational institutions society (TGMREIS), noted, “We have 178 staff nurses and several auxiliary nurses and midwives (ANMs) deployed across our schools. We’ve also established ‘She Teams’ to support adolescent girls with physical and emotional changes, providing counseling and psychological assistance.” A 24/7 helpline is also available, she said, adding that minority schools will undergo regular health screenings to detect any ailments.To further enhance health monitoring, minority schools are collaborating with ‘Doctors For A Cause’ to hold Sunday health camps aimed at early detection of illnesses. BC welfare schools also took cognisance of the developments and assured that they would put in every possible effort to prevent any untoward incidents.Maddileti M, joint secretary of the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Telangana BC welfare institutions society said, “Our academic guidance cell has been tasked with monitoring student health, plans are on to increase the frequency of regular health check-ups.”Need for basic infraHowever, teachers are concerned that implementing these measures without addressing basic infrastructure challenges will place an additional burden on them. Chava Ravi of the Telangana united teachers federation highlighted that many schools are overcrowded and lack essential facilities.