Four sets of regulations are being drafted by the Ministry of
Education to ensure the security of students: Administrative
Measures on Nursery, Primary and Secondary School Safety, Emergency
Preplan for School Major Accidents, Safety Management Rules on
School Safety, and School Law.
The steps come after a number of tragic accidents in schools,
the worst of which left 21 students suffocated and 47 injured in
September 2002 after the collapse of a guardrail on a set of
stairs.
This year,?two schoolgirls were killed and 13 others
injured in a stampede at Sunji Junior Middle School on March 11 in
Linyi, Shanxi
Province.
Nineteen students were injured after a stampede on March 24 in
the Second Experimental Primary School in Enshi, Hubei
Province.
Two children were killed and 28 injured after their kindergarten
collapsed in Henan
Province on August 10.
Zhou Ji, minister of education, called on local authorities to
improve and enact regulations on safety management in
schools?at a recent televised meeting.
The principle of first-in-command responsibility should be set
up, said Zhou. Headmasters and principals have to take the
responsibility for school security. Besides special staff employed
for students' safety, it is all teachers' responsibility to educate
students on how to protect themselves and to protect students when
meeting dangers.
According to Zhou, schools across the country have to strengthen
management to find potential dangers. For example, corridors and
stairs should be checked frequently. Lights should be checked for
damage and replaced timely. Class times should be staggered to
prevent overcrowding and ensure safety, and staff without proper
qualifications should be removed.?
(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan, November 18, 2004)