Safety first as students go back to school
Print Edition
September marks the start of the new school year in China. As students return to campus, school safety has become the center of attention across the country.
In Changsha, capital of central China’s Hunan Province, the local firefighting squad held a presentation for a group of middle schoolers to deal with emergencies.
“Most of the students have never used an extinguisher. We would not count on the students to put out fires, but it is important that they have the necessary knowledge and skills when emergency situations happen,” a firefighter said.
Similar safety campaigns have been launched across the country. Safety is viewed as particularly important after the deadly blasts in Tianjin on August 12, which killed at least 158 people.
More than 300 primary and secondary schools in the city’s Binhai New Area began the new semester yesterday after the local government hired workers to repair, clean and disinfect the areas surrounding the schools.
On Sunday, parents were taken on a tour of the TEDA No.1 Primary School, 7 kilometers from the blast site. Zeng Jia, an official with the Tianjin Economic Technology Development Area, said the quality of air, water and soil at the schools are all normal.
“I understand the parents still have worries after the blast. We have done a lot of work to ensure the safety of the school facilities,” said Li Yan, the school’s principal.
More than 160 students, some of whom had their houses damaged by the blasts, were moved to other parts of the city or transferred to new schools.
Following the Tianjin blasts, a nationwide safety overhaul was called for, especially in schools. School authorities have been ordered to better prepare themselves for emergencies.
In northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, education authorities, accompanied by police, launched a 10-day safety inspection for kindergartens and schools.
In the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, maintenance workers and electricians were invited to check pipeline and electric wire safety on campuses. Outdated boilers and elevators were replaced.
Over the weekend, China’s top legislature adopted amendments on the Criminal Law to emphasize the importance of school bus safety, giving harsher penalties to those who violate the rules surrounding student transport.
According to an amendment, overloaded school buses and drivers who exceed the designated limit can now face criminal detention and fines.
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