31 December,2014 08:08 AM IST | | Shreya Bhandary
After the recent attack on a Peshawar school, parents of wards at Greenlawns School complain of the lack of gates and the low compound wall, which cannot keep anyone out
Greenlawns School
The recent terror attack on a school in Peshawar, in which 141 people, mostly students were killed, has alerted government officials across the country. The city police have also sent notices to schools, stating the basic security measures that need to be in place. Parents are now raising concerns with school authorities to ensure that their children are safe.
The Greenlawns School, which has no gates to the entry/exit points. After the terror attack on a Peshawar school, many parents of students in the school are worried, since it is located right opposite the Worli opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. Pic/Datta Kumbhar
A group of parents of students studying at Worli's Greenlawns School have pointed out various loopholes in the security measures installed in the school at present. One of their main complaints is the missing school gates at both entry/exit points of the school premises. "There are no gates to the school building. Even the low compound walls do not have barbed wiring.
An outsider can easily jump over these walls and enter it from any direction," said a parent. Parents added that even security personnel are not available within the premises all the time, putting at risk the lives of 380 children studying in the school. The school is situated bang opposite the Worli opening of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, and parents are also worried about anti-social elements lurking around the Worli Sea Face.
In a complaint letter sent to the school on December 22, parents have blamed the trustees for not cooperating or showing concern towards students' safety. "We are extremely concerned about the safety of our children and recent events have added to our anxiety. The school authorities have shown very little interest in the same and we are worried that these security lapses will have serious consequences," said another parent.
Principal speak
When mid-day contacted the school principal, she claimed no parent had approached the school with their concerns. "We have security personnel manning our gates 24/7 and since we run in two shifts, we have a smaller group of children to handle in every session.
In case of our pre-primary students, even our teachers have been given clear instructions that children are to be handed over only to their parents after school, and they personally look into this," said Aparajita Rana, principal of the school. She added that they are concerned about the missing gates, but they have not been installed because of a legal dispute with the owner of the land where the school is situated.
"The property owner has issues with the school's building a gate, but that matter is in court and we should have a reply soon. The school authorities are very concerned about security and will never take security of our children lightly," she added. Parents said that they have also written to the local police as well as education officials about the problems, but to no avail.
