Now Reading: 584 Ashram School Students Died in Maharashtra Over Two Years
-
01
584 Ashram School Students Died in Maharashtra Over Two Years
Maharashtra officials say 584 students in state-run and aided ashram schools died between 2024 and 2026, an average of 0.8 deaths a day. The toll included 384 deaths in government schools and…
The Story in Brief
Maharashtra officials say 584 students in state-run and aided ashram schools died between 2024 and 2026, an average of 0.8 deaths a day. The toll included 384 deaths in government schools and 200 in aided schools. Officials attributed the deaths to causes including snakebites, sickle cell disease, serious illnesses, accidents and suicides.
The figures come after three tribal girls died from a snakebite at an aided residential school hostel in Gadchiroli on August 9. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the school’s licence cancelled permanently. The government has also ordered safety audits across the state. Congress has blamed administrative negligence and corruption. Officials said 36 government-school deaths and 30 aided-school deaths occurred on school premises, with most reported at home.
The Indian Opinion
The claim that every death reflects hostel failure is too sweeping, since officials say most occurred at home and the causes varied. But treating the figures as routine would be equally careless, especially after the Gadchiroli snakebite deaths. A proper audit must separate preventable deaths from medical and accidental cases, while checking staffing, buildings, food, transport and emergency care. The next test is whether the government publishes school-wise findings and acts on them, rather than stopping at licence cancellation.
Source: thefederal.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
