Sunday, September 11 2005 14:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Government today (Sept 11, 2005) extended the deadline for nursery and primary schools to get the mandatory safety and stability certification and approval till September 30 and announced institution of a Single Window System (SWS) to expedite the process.

Stating this in a press statement Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, however, warned that institutions, which failed to even, apply for approval before the extended deadline would not be allowed to run the schools after September 30.

The Government had launched a programme in December last to ensure complete safety for the school children and directed the schools to obtain fresh approval or renewal of existing approval by the beginning of this academic year. It later gave time till August 31 for the schools to obtain the approval.

There had been 'significant progress' in submission of application for renewals, she said adding some schools had now requested extension of time to enable them comply with norms.

"Noting the intention of these managements to comply with the safety and stability requirements and to expedite the process, I have ordered the institution of a new single window system to facilitate the issue of certificates to those managements which have applied to the regulatory departments after complying with the required norms," she said.

The regulations include fire safety clearance from the fire service, revenue department licence and sanitary clearance from local body/health department and stability certificate from a chartered engineer.

Under the SWS, a team of officials from concerned departments would carry out a joint inspection and the certificates would be issued expeditiously.

Jayalalithaa said out of the 3,206 existing approved schools, only 306 schools out of those requiring renewal once in three years were yet to apply for renewal while among the estimated 3,629 unapproved schools as many as 2,168 schools had already submitted their applications for approval and inspections were being completed in this regard.

She said those few institutions, which do not even apply with the requisite certificate before September 30, 'thus showing scant regard' for regulations on stability of buildings and safety of the children would not be permitted to run their schools.

"The children studying in these schools cannot be put at risk. They should, therefore, apply with necessary certificates as a last chance before 30.9.2005. Failure to so will mean closure," she said.

Children studying in the schools which fail to comply with the norms would be relocated to nearby approved schools so that "There is no dislocation to their education and hardship to their parents", she said adding the Government would provide support to ensure the parents of these children did not face any financial hardship in this regard.

Stating that the major reform launched by her Government had already ensured that by and large all nursery and primary schools complied with the safety and stability requirements, she said the SWS would ensure that her goal of cent per cent compliance was reached shortly.