Regulate summer camps at private schools

Call to action after recent toddler death in Madurai; pvt school assn wants edu dept to look into unauthorised camps

- N DHAMOTHARAN @Coimbatore

WITH summer holidays, private schools and play schools are organising special camps violating norms due to the laxity of educational officers, allege activists. Citing the alleged drowning of a four-year-old girl in a water tank at a play school in Madurai last week, they demanded regulation or a ban on summer camps held by private schools, considering children's safety.

In Coimbatore too, such summer camps for children are now being conducted by private schools without any checks as the educational officer of the school education department gives them a free hand, say activists.

Coimbatore-based activist S Basha told TNIE that money-spinning summer camps violate norms and educational officers allow them to function.

"Following the girl's death at a summer camp, the Madurai District Collector issued an order barring all types of schools from conducting any classes in the name of sports, special classes, evening classes, summer camps during summer holidays. The school licence too was cancelled," he said.