HYDERABAD: Two days after news broke that a four-year-old child was allegedly raped by the driver at a school in Banjara Hills, education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy on Friday issued instructions to revoke its recognition. She stated that the students would be transferred to another school so that they do not suffer loss of the academic year.
The education minister instructed the Hyderabad district education officer to immediately revoke the recognition of the school — which is not being named to protect the identity of the victim — and appointed a four-person committee with the secretary of the education department as its chairperson to investigate into safety and security issues in schools throughout the state.
In a week, the committee is expected to deliver a report and recommendations. The director of the school education department, the secretary of women and child welfare department, and police officers in the rank of DIG will be the members of the committee. Based on the report, special measures will be taken regarding the safety of the students.
Sabitha Reddy stated that all students enrolled in the school will be relocated to nearby schools. Whether they would transfer the students to public or private schools is currently unclear. However, she said that it is the Hyderabad DEO’s responsibility to clear the doubts of the parents regarding their child’s education and admission.
A majority of parents are opposing the decision to revoke the school's recognition and want their children to study in the same school. "Strict rules must be adhered to, and the staff must be replaced. We have not received any formal notice from the school. We do not even know whether our children will be shifted to government schools or private schools. Their future is at stake,” said a parent.
