MUMBAI: A 12-year-old student died in a government ashram school in Thane district on Friday morning, keeping the spotlight firmly on the sorry state of tribal schools across Maharashtra.
The state tribal development department also suspended Saple, Javanjal and Salave, and set up an inquiry committee to investigate the death. The school authorities allegedly did not get him the medical attention he needed, tribal activists claim, demanding better healthcare and accountability from the authorities. Friday’s death comes amid protests over the poor condition of tribal residential schools in the state. In August, three students died after they were bitten by a snake in a tribal ashram school in Gadchiroli. The children were sleeping on the floor when six of them were bitten as the school had no beds. Medical records mentioned fever, chills, nausea and low blood pressure. Saple was not available for comment. They also claim the child’s parents were not informed about the boy’s condition in time. The organisation has also sought financial compensation for the boy’s family.
The Class 5 student, Vivek Subhash Bhoye, died at the Pise Ashram School in Bhiwandi taluka after developing a fever four days ago. After the Thane death, the Shramjeevi Sanghatana wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating that the student was taken to the Padgha primary health centre on October 6 and again on October 8.
Doctors referred him to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Bhiwandi or the Shahapur sub-district hospital for further treatment, said sanghatana president Vivek Pandit, who alleged that the school authorities failed to take the boy to the referred hospital in time. “According to the rules, parents must be informed of a student’s illness on day one but authorities don’t do this,” alleged Prakash Khoda, an activist from Shahapur. Khoda said the inquiry must establish whether the student received timely medical attention and whether the school followed the required procedures when his condition worsened. “The government must also examine the healthcare arrangements in ashram schools across the state,” he added.
After the Gadchiroli deaths in August and angry protests on Friday, police swiftly registered a first information report (FIR) against the school’s principal Jaywant Saple, school superintendent Rahul Javanjal, and a primary teacher Ashok Salave.
