Port Blair, Oct 14: Highlighting a crucial issue, Mr. Y Sajeevan, President, A & N Teachers’ Association wrote a letter to the Secretary (Education), Andaman & Nicobar Administration today in connection to the recent incident of mass health related issue which cropped up among students of Govt. Model Senior Secondary School, Aberdeen, Port Blair.
Reportedly, about 24 students from classes 6 to 9 were hospitalized after purportedly consuming albendazole tablets for treating worm infestation among children, as mentioned in the letter.
This medication is being supplied by the Department of Health to each school to be administered by the teachers and the teachers cannot be held accountable for genuineness of the medicine or its method of administration to the children, Mr. Y Sajeevan argued.
Besides on several occasions, the responsibility of health assessment of school children and other such activities are shifted on to the shoulders of the teachers who are already overburdened in record maintenance in addition to their own academic activities, the President of A & N Teachers’ Association alleged.
Urging the Secretary (Education) to kindly ensure that the implementation of health related schemes like deworming, health assessments etc- should be carried out by the staff of the health department in their physical presence as they have the professional expertise for such activities which the teachers lack, after obtaining prior permission from the parents (if required) so that the same can be safely and effectively implemented, Mr. Y Sajeevan suggested. He further implored the Secretary that the matter may kindly be taken up with the appropriate authority to avert any such untoward incident in future.
