Thiruvananthapuram: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has formed a committee to frame comprehensive guidelines for safety of school children and including among others on psychometric evaluation of teaching and nonteaching staff, safety audit of premises, CCTV monitoring, character antecedents verification, and visitor management. This was in continuation of Board’s circular dated September 12 regarding the Safety of Children in Schools through which the schools were given two months time to comply.
A detailed guideline will be brought out by the CBSE shortly based on its recommendations. The schools will get adequate time to comply with the measures including psychometric evaluation as specified in the final guidelines. CBSE has earlier through the circular issued in the background of a seven-year-old boy’s murder inside the washroom of Ryan International School, Gurgaon, allegedly following sexual harassment asked schools to conduct security and safety audit of their premises by personnel from their respective local police station and follow the security-related advice for the safety of schoolchildren.
The notification also had warned schools of disaffiliation if the deadline is not met. The circular had wanted the schools to install CCTV Cameras at all vulnerable areas and point in the School premises and ensure they are functional at all times. As the children are spending most of their time in school, the concern of parents about their safety is increasing every other day regarding their physical safety, mental and emotional health or child abuse owing to increasing incidents involving safety and wellbeing.
The onus for shall solely lie upon the school authorities. It is a fundamental right of a child to engage and study in an environment where the child feels safe and is free from any form of physical or emotional abuse or harassment, the circular said. Moreover, the schools should also strive to promote a better understanding amongst their teachers and staff on the laws protecting the safety, security and interests of the students and device means to take immediate remedial and punitive action against such violations.
