The family learnt about the death from another student, not from school authorities, claims the father of a six-year-old, one of the two students who died in the last 20 days at Maharashtra’s tribal ashram school at Masvan in Palghar.
As a precautionary measure, 26 students showing mild symptoms of cold, cough or fever were placed under medical observation at the Maswan Primary Health Centre, where their condition was reported to be stable, the official said.
He attended school on Monday but his condition suddenly deteriorated and he developed breathing difficulty. The student who died had been suffering from fever for two days. The Integrated Tribal Development Project officer Vishal Khatri visited the school and the health centre to meet the hospitalised students and their parents. He found severe deficiencies regarding drinking water and basic amenities, prompting him to severely reprimand the management. Officials inspecting the school in Palghar “As per the advice of the district health officer, a fresh health check-up drive was conducted at the Maswan ashram school.
He died while being taken to hospital, officials said. “The school administration did not inform us of the death; we learned about the incident only after another student called us,” the father of the six-year-old has alleged. Essential measures for campus sanitation and water purification are being carried out in the institution, and all necessary precautions will be taken to prevent the recurrence of such unfortunate incidents,” Khatri told news agency PTI.
This comes after three tribal girls died from a venomous snakebite after sleeping on the floor of a residential school in Gadchiroli district earlier this month.
