Telangana: Students safety at stake in schools, colleges

Hyderabad: Are school and college science labs in Telangana safe for students? The recent lab accident in the Kasturba Gandhi Junior College for Women, West Marredpally has brought several facts to light that indicate that students' safety is being compromised.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr. Firoz, a senior faculty teaching chemistry, said every college science lab has a set of safety norms that need to be looked after by the lab assistants. The safety norms include students should have to wear aprons over their dress in the chemistry lab, and cannot draw any chemicals on their own for conducting experiments. This has to be done either by a lab assistant or the faculty member concerned.

It was the lab assistants and the head of the department of chemistry, physics, and biology who manage the lab inventory management. But in many colleges -- both junior and degree -- as well as some schools there are no lab assistants. He said the normal practice is that during summer holidays the lab assistants along with the faculty of the department concerned take up auditing of the lab. This includes disposal of the outdated chemicals, lab material developing cracks or broken, etc. There are specific procedures on how to dispose of expired chemicals and other materials safely," he said.

The gas cylinders or any such materials are to be kept in a wooden box or chambers to reduce and minimize any impact. Further, if the gas-filled cylinders are kept within the lab racks and prescribed safety measures should be taken. However, such procedures are not being followed making the lives of students vulnerable.

Telangana Government Junior Lecturers Association president P Madhusudan Reddy also endorsed these views and said that there should be an independent committee to inquire about the status of the safety of science labs right from the junior college level.