A school excursion during which students of Government Higher Secondary School, Thonakkal, were involved in an accident on the Pala-Thodupuzha route did not conform to guidelines brought out by the General Education department for tours, Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty has said.
At a press conference here on Thursday, the Minister said directions had been given that travel should be avoided from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. The accident occurred around midnight. There had been lapses, he said, adding that an explanation would be sought from the school authorities.
The guidelines for school tours should be strictly followed since lives were at stake. Strict action would be taken against school authorities who failed to observe the guidelines.
It was a relief that no one had sustained grievous injuries, a statement quoting the Minister added. Only vehicles that followed Motor Vehicles department stipulations should be used for excursions. Directions had been given to authorities to make inspections more stringent, the statement said.
Complaints had been received that some school were charging huge sums for excursions, the Minister said earlier. Expenses should be worked out such that all students could take part in the excursions. If some students could not afford the expenses, teachers should not exclude them. That would not be allowed. Teachers or parent-teacher association should take steps to include students who could not afford the trips. Else, they should not plan the excursion at all.
Students should also not be excluded from the trips in the name of some action taken against them earlier. Such complaints had been received from students, the Minister said, adding that utmost care should be exercised while taking students on school tours.
Published – December 04, 2025 09:32 pm IST
