New 15-point guideline for schools to ensure students’ safety
These mandatory guidelines directives come in the wake of last year’s sexual assault on two 4-year-old girls at a Badlapur school
MUMBAI: Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered all schools in the state to conduct roll call thrice a day, install CCTV cameras on their premises and conduct character verification before appointing new employees. These mandatory guidelines directives come in the wake of last year’s sexual assault on two 4-year-old girls at a Badlapur school.
It is also mandatory for the schools to inform local police about any complaint by any student of sexual assault, inform parents in case a student is absent or missing after attending the school, and also organise “good touch-bad touch” training sessions to create awareness among pre-primary and primary students about sexual harassment. The order also states that self-defence training should be part of the school curriculum.
On September 26 last year Maharashtra government had set up an 18-member committee headed by retired justices Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi and Sadhana Jadhav to recommend safety norms for students in schools and steps for effectively implementing existing laws including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Tuesday’s comprehensive guidelines are based on recommendations of this committee and other guidelines issued from time to time.
As per new guidelines schools will have to inform and provide all help to file complaints on POCSO e-box and the CHIRAG app launched by state commission for protection of child rights, and also via the toll-free child helpline number 1098. Helpline numbers should be clearly displayed with information to students on how and when to use this helpline, states the order.
School will further ensure that there are no stalls selling pan or tobacco-laced products within 1 kilometre radius of the school and for which the school management should take the help of the local police. Complaint boxes installed on the premises will have to be opened twice a week in the presence of a school committee comprising parent’s representatives and it’s the school’s onus to provide counselling service to students as and when required.
It will also be mandatory for private schools to install CCTV cameras in school premises including outside the toilets and they will have to keep the recording for at least one month. If any school management does not follow these provisions, stringent actions like stopping of grants and even cancelation of approval to the school will ensue. Government and schools run by local bodies could use 5% of the funds kept reserved in the district plan for school education to install CCTV. School principals have been asked to check CCTV footage thrice a week and to inform the local police in case anything untoward is found.
The order further states that while appointing new staff, character verification would be mandatory with checks using the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network System database. The order also states that while appointing non-teaching staff on contract basis or outsourcing that work for pre-primary and first to sixth standards, priority should be given to female staff.
CCTVs have also to be mandatory on school buses on which children have to be accompanied by a female attendant. It will henceforth be mandatory to conduct ‘Breathalyzer test’ to ensure the bus staff is not indulging in alcohol or substance abuse.
The order also mandates the appointment of Sakhi-Savitri committee to help in school enrolment of children in the area, to provide self-defence training for girl students etc. These guidelines also ask schools to provide digital training to students to avoid misuse of their photos and videos.
A senior official from the school education department said that through this government resolution (GR), mandatory guidelines have been issued for school management and teachers and principals. An education officer will monitor the implementation. “If any school which runs on government grants does not follow these mandatory guidelines, it will face action, like a cut or stopping of several grants it receives from the government. In case of private schools, they will face consequences while renewing their approval,” said the official.
