General Education Minister V Sivankutty on Saturday announced that the Kerala government would take charge of an aided school where a 13-year-old student was electrocuted a while back. The manager of the school will also be terminated from service on account of this incident. Mithun, who studied in Thevalakkara Boys High School in Kollam district, passed away last week after he touched an electric live wire on the school campus.
Speaking to journalists, Sivankutty stated that the Director of Public Instruction (DPI), in his report, had quoted "serious lapses" that resulted in the accidental death of the student.
"In this context, the DPI will give an order removing the manager of Thevalakkara Boys High School and transferring the administration to the district education officer of Kollam," the minister added.
Referring to sections of the Kerala Education Act, he said that if "any lapse on the part of the manager of an aided school, the government has the powers to take over the institution for a limited period in the public interest." The opposition Congress and BJP recently attacked the Left government for the incident, accusing that the state's education system was "collapsing, just like its healthcare system"— a reference to the death of a woman earlier this month when part of a building at the Government Medical College Hospital collapsed.
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Sivankutty said the untimely death of the class 8 student had caused "widespread sorrow", and the government was taking measures to prevent such incidents in the future.
"Despite the authorities convening several meetings to ensure school safety, this incident still occurred," he said.
Amid growing concerns over the incident, the Department of General Education began taking additional steps to ensure school safety. The minister further stated that the PTA members, teachers, students, and the public can make complaints about safety, and a high-level review meeting on ongoing safety initiatives will be conducted on July 31.
As part of relief to Mithun's family, a house will be constructed for them by the Scouts and Guides under General Education Department. An amount of ₹3 lakh will be transferred from the DPI account.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has already made the payment of ₹5 lakh as a financial relief. The management of the school has also offered a grant of ₹10 lakh as a relief. Besides, the Kerala School Teachers' Association (KSTA) has committed ₹10 lakh to the family, the minister added.
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