State grants Permission for diabetic school children to have food and insulin in classrooms

State authorities have granted certain concessions to students with Type-1 diabetes, including the ability to consume food, drink water, administer medications, and utilize insulin pumps and monitoring devices, including smartphones, within classrooms and examination halls. These allowances extend to students with Type-1 (Diabetes Mellitus) in classes ranging from 1 to 12, as specified in a government circular issued on Thursday.

According to a report of TOI, While the GR is not specific about concessions for board exams, the state education board will issue guidelines on snack breaks during SSC and HSC exams.

A segment of parents had been advocating for accommodations for students with Type-1 diabetes during board exams, which typically last for 2-3 hours. Previously, the CBSE was the sole board permitting snack breaks for students with Type-1 diabetes during board exams. The decision by the state government to allow students from Class 1 to 12 with Type-1 diabetes to have snacks and administer medications in both classrooms and examination halls has been well-received by schools, parents, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

For exams, students are required to submit the food, fruits, and snacks they bring, including items like biscuits, nuts, and dried fruits, to the exam hall teachers. These provisions can then be provided to the students within the classroom if necessary to manage their blood sugar levels.

Students will be allowed to carry diabetes tablets, glucometer and glucose test strips during exams. These have to be kept with the invigilator in the exam hall. Those using smartphones to record and monitor glucose can do so in the exam hall but the phone will have to be kept with the examiner, TOI reported.

So far in the absence of concessions, schools said they had been doing the needful on their own. School heads said they  keep records of students with diabetes. We have a student who takes insulin before school. Her next dose is after she returns home,” said the principal of a Santacruz school.