Schoolgirl assault: Haryana rights panel calls for review of child-safety arrangements

Schoolgirl assault: Haryana rights panel calls for review of child-safety arrangements

Chandigarh, Taking serious cognisance of the recent assault on a six-year-old girl at a government school in Panchkula last month, the Haryana Human Rights Commission has stressed the need for a comprehensive review of child-safety arrangements in schools across the state.

Schoolgirl assault: Haryana rights panel calls for review of child-safety arrangements

The commission has asked the state government to consider conducting a time-bound safety audit of all schools and preparing a concrete action plan to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

A six-year-old girl was injured in an alleged assault by an eight-year-old boy inside a classroom at a government school in Panchkula last month.

Upon receiving information about the incident, Commission chairperson Justice Lalit Batra, accompanied by Assistant Registrar Puneet Arora, visited the school on October 31.

During the visit, arrangements relating to school safety and supervision of children were examined.

In its November 13 order passed in a suo motu case, the commission observed that ensuring the safety of every child within school premises was a fundamental responsibility of the institution concerned and the administration.

The alleged assault on the girl was not merely a matter of negligence at an individual school but raised several serious questions concerning the supervision of children, availability of teachers, classroom arrangements, monitoring of CCTV cameras and emergency response mechanisms, it said.

The commission, comprising chairperson Justice Batra and members Kuldip Jain and Deep Bhatia, emphasised the need to examine how many teachers and staff members were deployed for supervising students at the time of the incident.

It also called for examining whether students belonging to different age groups and classes were being taught together, how CCTV cameras were being monitored and why timely assistance could not be provided to the injured child.

The commission observed that action against individual employees alone would not be sufficient. It was equally important to identify the systemic deficiencies that may have contributed to such an incident, it stated.

Referring to the Haryana School Safety Regulations, 2017, and the Ministry of Education's Guidelines on School Safety and Security, 2021, the commission emphasised the need for effective School Safety Committees, child protection documents, supervision of students' movement, emergency communication arrangements and crisis management plans.

It also underlined the importance of adequate supervision of children's activities within classrooms and school premises, CCTV coverage at sensitive locations and regular monitoring of camera feeds.

The commission clarified that compliance with the prescribed pupil-teacher ratio of 30:1 under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, did not mean that a teacher could leave 30 children unsupervised or that other groups of 30 children from different classes could automatically be combined in one classroom.

Adequate staff availability and age-appropriate classroom arrangements must be ensured in schools, it said.

The commission recommended that the state government consider comprehensive preventive measures to ensure the safety of children and prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

It also emphasised the need to organise regular awareness programmes for parents covering positive parenting, children's emotional development, non-violent discipline and understanding changes in children's behaviour.

The commission highlighted the importance of responsible use of digital platforms, particularly making parents aware of the potential impact of violent online games and other digital content on children's behaviour so they can appropriately supervise their online activities.

Schools should conduct age-appropriate programmes to promote empathy, non-violence, peaceful resolution of conflicts and respectful behaviour towards peers, it said.

Teachers should be sensitised and trained to identify early signs of bullying, aggression, emotional distress and behavioural problems, it added.

The commission also stressed the need to ensure the availability of qualified child psychologists and counsellors at the school or school-cluster level so that children can receive timely guidance and support whenever required.

Highlighting the need for strict implementation of the CCTV-related provisions under the Haryana School Safety Regulations, 2017, it said adequate cameras should be installed at important locations such as corridors, staircases and classroom entrances.

Assistant Registrar Arora said the commission was not viewing the matter merely as an incident confined to one school but as a wider issue concerning the life, safety and dignity of children in schools.

"The objective is to identify the circumstances and systemic deficiencies responsible for the incident and work towards effective corrective measures so that no child has to face such insecurity within school premises in the future," he said.

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