Several schools in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad do not care about health and safety of students, if aggrieved parents are to be believed. Since June, thousands of students have been attending early morning schools on empty stomach, and dipping temperature has compounded their miseries. This, say activists, is violation of human rights and needed strong steps from the education department. In a week, temperature in Pune dipped to season’s lowest of 11° Celsius and will dip further. It is not just dipping temperature but early morning darkness — due to shorter days — that has led to consternation among parents. “It is only around 6.45 am that darkness disappears. The early morning mist and darkness make it difficult to spot incoming vehicles or an unknown person approaching you.it is indeed dangerous for children to get up early in the morning,” says Jayant K whose two daughters have to travel 5-6 kilometres everyday to attend school. Whether in Pune city, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki or Dehu Road, students shivering and huddled up in groups on internal roads or on highways, waiting for school buses have been a common sight for the past one week or so. School vehicles do not arrive at their doorstep, children have to walk quite a distance in the darkness to catch their bus. Some are accompanied by parents, but some are not. But does this make schools, principals and their management to do a rethink on timings? “Our school starts at 8.30 am. We conscientiously choose this timing. A 8.30 am timing allows children to have breakfast at 8 am and come to school. Many schools start at 7.30 or 7 am which means children leave home at 6. Is it possible for a child to have breakfast at 6?.this is simply ridiculous to believe,” says Domnic Lobo, whose family runs the New English School, Sangvi. “School managements lack application of mind, especially when it comes to taking care of health and safety of students. In several schools, these are not priority areas, they just want to go through the motions,” adds Lobo. As reported by Pune Newsline, thousands of students attend early morning schools on empty stomachs as they cannot eat food when they get up at 5.30 or 6 am. For a 7 am school, children are forced to leave at 6 or 6.15 depending on distance. For a school that starts at 7.30, children have to leave by 6.30 or 6.45. A parent sums up the early morning nightmare of a child. “My child drinks only a cup of milk before leaving for school. No matter how much I persuade, he refuses to eat. He complains of stomach ache..because his bowels don’t get emptied,” says Snehlata in Kondhwa. One school responded to requests. The Dr D Y Patil Public School, Pimpri run by the family of Bihar Governor D Y Patil changed timing from 7.15 to 7.40 from Monday. “The decision was to ensure health and safety of students. Along with academics and sports, our school gives priority to health of students,” says principal Mrudula Mahajan. Education Commissioner S Chockalingam said he will find out what made schools start early. “I will convene a meeting of principals. I will ask them to justify,” he said. Chocklingam conceded it was not appropriate for schools to force children to attend classes in unfavourable conditions and especially on empty stomachs. Human rights activists call it a violation of human rights of children. A top human rights activist in the city Aseem Sarode says, “Children should not be forced out of beds. And when it is impossible for adults to eat as soon he or she gets up, how can we force food down throats of children?” Sarode said, “A few years back, the High Court in Madhya Pradesh called early morning school in winter as a violation of rights of the child. After that, all the schools had fallen in line. In Pune too, the education department should take the initiative,” he said. Many parents agree with the view and argue that in this season and even throughout the year, the ideal time should be 8.30 am. “This allows children to get enough sleep and have breakfast so that they don’t feel sleepy during morning classes,” says Sanjeevani P, a housewife from Chinchwad.
