With only days remaining for the new academic year to begin, the Local Self Government Department (LSGD) has issued a fresh circular in an attempt to clear the growing uncertainty surrounding school fitness inspections.

As per the circular issued by the LSGD Principal Directorate, superintending engineers of the South, North and Corporation divisions, along with district panchayat executive engineers, have been directed to ensure that fitness inspections are carried out strictly in accordance with the checklist issued by the General Education Department.

According to sources, an earlier directive issued by the General Education Department on May 13 had stipulated that fitness certificates for schools should be issued by LSGD assistant engineers. The process also required no objection certificates from five departments, namely the Electrical Inspectorate, Fire and Rescue Services, Health, Forest and Wildlife, and the Motor Vehicles Department.

However, LSGD officials soon approached the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT), contending that assistant engineers were not equipped to comprehensively assess school safety, a responsibility that had earlier been handled by specialised departments such as Health, Forest and Wildlife, Motor Vehicles, KSEB or Electrical Inspectorate, and Fire and Rescue Services.

Following the dispute, the General Education Minister convened a meeting on Monday. In the wake of the discussions, authorities have now issued clearer guidelines for school fitness inspections. The circular mandates strict enforcement of safety norms concerning dangerous electric posts and overhead wires near school premises. It also includes a new direction to ensure that transformers located near schools are properly fenced and that necessary corrective measures are taken wherever required.

Earlier, schools used to submit reports directly to panchayats, following which local authorities conducted inspections and issued fitness certificates. However, after the electrocution death of a student at a school in Kollam, the government directed five departments to conduct inspections and upload the findings on the K Smart platform before fitness certificates could be issued.

The directive followed a High Court order issued in connection with a public interest litigation filed by activist Kulathur Jaisingh.