Parents send their children to school for several hours every day with the expectation that they will be looked after while they are there. That responsibility covers more than classrooms and lessons. It also includes food, kitchens, drinking water, sanitation, buildings and the safety procedures followed around children.
India has more than 14 lakh schools. UDISE+ 2024-25 recorded 14,71,473 schools across the country. But there is no single national database that records every injury, accident, food-related illness or other safety incident involving students inside schools. That makes it difficult to establish a nationwide number for school mishaps.
Recent incidents in Maharashtra and Bihar have once again brought the question of school safety into focus.
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Maharashtra Mid-Day Meal Pressure Cooker Explosion
On September 8, a pressure cooker exploded while a mid-day meal was being prepared at Sopara Zilla Parishad School in Nalasopara, Maharashtra.
According to NDTV, a helper and two students were injured in the incident.
A 10-year-old student suffered severe burns to his face and was taken to Mumbai's JJ Hospital for treatment. Another student was also injured.
The cooker exploded while the meal was being prepared for students. Hot khichdi from the cooker also hit students who were nearby.
Police began investigating the incident.
The incident also raises questions about safety in school kitchens, where cooking equipment is used around students and meals are prepared for large numbers of children.
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Bihar Food Poisoning And Alleged Phenyl Mix-Up
On September 8, two separate incidents involving students were also reported from Bihar.
In Supaul, a 10-year-old girl and two other girls at a residential madrasa fell ill after dinner. The girl's condition deteriorated and she died during treatment the following day.
The Indian Express reported that the madrasa management said the girl's mother had visited her earlier that day and had given her sweets and a samosa brought from a fair. The other girls who ate the same food also fell ill.
The police said the exact cause of the girl's death would be established after the investigation and medical report. A district education department team also inspected the institution, including its facilities, residential arrangements and documents.
A preliminary assessment suggested possible food poisoning, but the cause of death had not been conclusively established when the report was published.
The second incident happened in Bhagalpur's Naugachia area.
Three girls at a residential school became unwell after phenyl was reportedly used instead of milk while preparing tea. The phenyl had been kept in a glass in the kitchen.
The students were taken to a community health centre and later referred to a hospital in Bhagalpur.
Police and education officials sought details from the school management, including how a cleaning chemical came to be stored in a glass in the kitchen and whether anyone responsible for the arrangement had been negligent.
The two Bihar cases therefore involve different circumstances. One remains under investigation to determine the cause of the girl's death. The other involved the reported accidental use of a cleaning chemical.
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Why Do Such Things Happen Inside Schools?
A school meal does not begin when food reaches a child's plate.
Ingredients have to be purchased and stored. Cooking equipment has to be used and maintained. Cleaning products have to be kept away from food. Food has to be prepared and served under hygienic conditions.
The government's food-safety guidelines for school-level kitchens specifically cover these stages.
The PM POSHAN food-safety guidelines require schools and other authorities involved in the programme to follow procedures relating to food procurement, storage, preparation, serving and hygiene. The guidelines also provide for training of cooks and helpers and call for attention to the safety of the kitchen itself.
This means a school meal is not simply the responsibility of the person standing in the kitchen.
There are different people and authorities involved in the process.
Depending on the arrangement, that can include the school head, teachers, cooks and helpers, the School Management Committee, local authorities, meal suppliers or agencies, and government officials responsible for monitoring the scheme.
So Who Is Responsible If A Child Gets Hurt?
That depends on what happened.
If a pressure cooker explodes because of an equipment defect, investigators would need to establish who was responsible for the equipment and its maintenance.
If a cleaning chemical is stored in a container that can be mistaken for food or a drink, investigators would need to examine who stored it, what instructions existed and who was responsible for the kitchen.
If children become ill after eating a meal, authorities would need to establish where the contamination occurred and who was responsible for the relevant stage of preparation or supply.
The responsibility therefore cannot automatically be placed on a teacher simply because the incident happened at school.
The Ministry of Education's Guidelines on School Safety and Security, 2021 take a broader approach. They set out responsibilities for different stakeholders involved in school safety and security, including school management and heads of schools. The Centre has also said that the guidelines are intended to fix accountability in matters concerning the safety and security of children.
What Rules Protect Children At School?
India has no single law covering every type of school accident. Different laws and government guidelines apply depending on what happened.
The Right to Education Act, 2009 sets norms and standards for schools and provides for School Management Committees in eligible schools, which monitor school functioning.
The Centre’s School Safety and Security Guidelines, 2021 cover physical safety, health, emergency response and accountability. States and Union Territories are responsible for implementing them in their jurisdictions.
For school meals under PM POSHAN, separate food-safety and hygiene guidelines cover food storage, handling and preparation in school kitchens.
Criminal law can also apply when an investigation establishes that a rash or negligent act endangered someone and caused harm. Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 provides punishment for such acts, including separate provisions when hurt or grievous hurt is caused.
An injury alone does not establish criminal negligence.
TL;DR | News At a Glance
What happened in Maharashtra?
A pressure cooker exploded while a mid-day meal was being prepared at a Zilla Parishad school in Nalasopara, injuring two students and a helper. One student suffered severe facial burns.
What happened in Bihar?
A 10-year-old girl died after falling ill at a residential madrasa in Supaul. The exact cause of death remained under investigation. In a separate Bhagalpur incident, three girls fell ill after phenyl was reportedly used instead of milk while preparing tea.
Why does responsibility not automatically fall on teachers?
School safety involves several stakeholders. Responsibility depends on the incident, the person's duties and whether a failure contributed to what happened.
Are there government rules for school safety?
Yes. The Ministry of Education has School Safety and Security Guidelines, while PM POSHAN has specific food-safety and hygiene guidelines for school kitchens.
Can an accident lead to criminal action?
It can, if an investigation establishes the elements of an applicable offence, including rash or negligent conduct causing the relevant harm. An accident by itself does not establish criminal negligence.
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