Gujarat govt set to introduce guidelines for school picnics following Harni Lake tragedy

To ensure the safety of the students during such trips, the education department has formulated draft guidelines following requests from schools.

This draft will be submitted to the state government for further deliberation and modifications. The government is expected to release these guidelines within the next three days.

Notably, the Gujarat government had suspended issuing permits for school picnics following the tragic boat accident at Vadodara’s Harni Lake, where 12 students and two teachers drowned to death in January this year.

The new guidelines are likely to include stricter provisions for students’ safety, enhancing the accountability of schools and their teachers accompanying the pupils.

Legal proceedings against violators could also be included in the guidelines.

However, the District Education Officer’s (DEO) nod is mandatory for schools to organise school picnics.

Several schools were found to be flouting the state ban on school picnics.

Ahmedabad schools, including Seventh Day School in Maninagar, Ahmedabad Public School in Bhat, and Shiv Ashish School in Bopal, were among the violators who served notices by the DEO.

Such violation invites a fine ranging from ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh.