Haryana child rights panel asks schools to drop knotted ties over safety risk
Haryana's child rights commission has advised schools to stop making knotted neckties compulsory. The move seeks to prevent avoidable strangulation accidents and push safer uniform alternatives.
The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued an advisory recommending that schools stop making knotted neckties a compulsory part of the uniform, saying they can lead to accidental strangulation during play and other routine activities.
The Commission has asked schools to switch to clip-on or Velcro ties, which can come off quickly in an emergency. It has also urged the Haryana School Education Department to circulate the advisory to all government, government-aided and private schools in the state and ensure action is taken.
In the advisory issued on July 10, HSCPCR chairperson Tripti Sheoran said the Commission had taken cognisance of "a series of unfortunate incidents reported from different parts of the country wherein school-going children have lost their lives due to accidental strangulation caused by conventional neckties becoming entangled with swings, wall hooks and other objects during play and routine activities".
The Commission said such incidents, though accidental, are preventable. "Conventional neckties, which are primarily worn as part of school uniforms for reasons of appearance and discipline, can pose an avoidable risk of strangulation," it said.
Sheoran said it was inappropriate to expose children to such risks merely for the sake of uniform tradition when safer alternatives are available.
The advisory said that until safer alternatives are adopted, schools should ensure that conventional neckties are not worn during sports, physical education classes, playground activities or any other activity where there is a risk of entanglement.
The child rights body also asked schools to sensitise teachers, students and parents about the possible hazards linked to conventional neckties and to raise awareness on the issue.
The Commission stressed that every measure related to child safety is of paramount importance.
Earlier this month, a seven-year-old boy died while playing with the tie of his elder sibling at their home in Bhiwani district. Dharam Singh, a police officer in Bhiwani, said, "It was a case of accidental strangulation."
A parent from Panchkula, Viney Kumar, said the Commission had issued the right advisory. "Sometimes we see schoolchildren getting into fights, which pose a risk as a tie, if pulled suddenly, can harm the child," said Kumar, who has two school-going children.
Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the Haryana chapter of the National Independent Schools Alliance, which represents nearly 6,000 private schools in the state, said it would follow any guidelines or instructions issued by the government or the school education department. "Children's safety is of vital importance to us. If a child is wearing something that raises even the slightest doubt of safety, it should be changed. We will adhere to any instructions coming from the government in the wake of this advisory," Sharma said.
The advisory calls for schools across Haryana to review the use of conventional neckties, adopt safer alternatives and take immediate steps to reduce any risk to children.
The Haryana State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued an advisory recommending that schools stop making knotted neckties a compulsory part of the uniform, saying they can lead to accidental strangulation during play and other routine activities.
The Commission has asked schools to switch to clip-on or Velcro ties, which can come off quickly in an emergency. It has also urged the Haryana School Education Department to circulate the advisory to all government, government-aided and private schools in the state and ensure action is taken.
In the advisory issued on July 10, HSCPCR chairperson Tripti Sheoran said the Commission had taken cognisance of "a series of unfortunate incidents reported from different parts of the country wherein school-going children have lost their lives due to accidental strangulation caused by conventional neckties becoming entangled with swings, wall hooks and other objects during play and routine activities".
The Commission said such incidents, though accidental, are preventable. "Conventional neckties, which are primarily worn as part of school uniforms for reasons of appearance and discipline, can pose an avoidable risk of strangulation," it said.
Sheoran said it was inappropriate to expose children to such risks merely for the sake of uniform tradition when safer alternatives are available.
The advisory said that until safer alternatives are adopted, schools should ensure that conventional neckties are not worn during sports, physical education classes, playground activities or any other activity where there is a risk of entanglement.
The child rights body also asked schools to sensitise teachers, students and parents about the possible hazards linked to conventional neckties and to raise awareness on the issue.
The Commission stressed that every measure related to child safety is of paramount importance.
Earlier this month, a seven-year-old boy died while playing with the tie of his elder sibling at their home in Bhiwani district. Dharam Singh, a police officer in Bhiwani, said, "It was a case of accidental strangulation."
A parent from Panchkula, Viney Kumar, said the Commission had issued the right advisory. "Sometimes we see schoolchildren getting into fights, which pose a risk as a tie, if pulled suddenly, can harm the child," said Kumar, who has two school-going children.
Kulbhushan Sharma, president of the Haryana chapter of the National Independent Schools Alliance, which represents nearly 6,000 private schools in the state, said it would follow any guidelines or instructions issued by the government or the school education department. "Children's safety is of vital importance to us. If a child is wearing something that raises even the slightest doubt of safety, it should be changed. We will adhere to any instructions coming from the government in the wake of this advisory," Sharma said.
The advisory calls for schools across Haryana to review the use of conventional neckties, adopt safer alternatives and take immediate steps to reduce any risk to children.
