NHRC notice to Delhi govt to provide report within 4 weeks over condition of school for visually challenged

New Delhi [India], July 3 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government for a detailed report of a school for visually challenged students that lies in a dilapidated state within four weeks, a press release stated.

"It should also include the present status and the steps being taken or proposed to be taken to maintain continuity of education for the students and their safety," the NHRC added.

The NHRC acted after taking suo motu cognizance of a media report that states that about 35 students of "one of the country's oldest schools" for the visually impaired are "forced to study at the risk of their lives" in a dilapidated building, the national human rights body said in a statement.

The school has "literally" no educational as well as residential facilities, it mentioned adding that the "unrecognized" school is being run by an NGO in the Panchkuyian area of Delhi.

Mentioning details about the school, the NHRC stated in its release that it was "reportedly set up in Lahore in 1939 and was migrated to its present location in central Delhi, in 1947".

The Commission has observed in the release, that if the contents of the media report are true then it raises "serious safety" and "human rights issues" for the Divyang children and their teachers.

According to the media report published on June 26, in addition to the 35 children who are mostly from outside Delhi, the school also has eight teaching and 15 non-teaching staff.

The report also highlights that the school management has earlier written to the Delhi Lt. Governor and the Education Department to transfer the students to other blind schools in view of the impending risks to their life.

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