Monsoon: Ill kids sent home from Mumbai school door

Schools are giving students lessons on how to stay healthy this monsoon, awareness workshops for the parents and, in one case, even checking the students’ temperatures before letting them enter school.

An international chain of pre-schools in the western suburbs has come up with an innovative way of protecting toddlers from catching contagious diseases from their classmates.

They conduct a daily temperature check at the entrance of their school with a specially designed non-contact infra-red thermometer, which screens the child’s temperature and gives the body reading. If any child has fever or shows symptoms of illness, the parent is immediately informed and the child is sent back home to rest and recover.

“Monsoon is a carrier of various illnesses. Students’ attendance drops by 10 to 15% during this season. But we take all necessary precautions. We maintain the best standards of health and hygiene in our pre-schools,” said Richa Bhatia, head of School Support, SERRA International Pre-schools.

Other schools are spreading awareness through workshops, PTA meetings and regular health tips from doctors.