After Ryan murder, Haryana issues guidelines on safety of schoolkids

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 17

Amid growing concern over safety of schoolgoing children, the Haryana government has issued a set of comprehensive guidelines that include dos and don’ts to be followed by schools, teachers, children and parents.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Prepared by the Directorate of Education of Haryana government, the ‘Regulations on School Safety’ has recommended framing of a three-tier safety committees at the level of schools, sub-divisions and districts across the state.

“…a safe environment to work and study in schools is the utmost need for a successful academic functioning of schools to meet the objectives of schooling…,” stated the safety regulations issued after the murder of a Ryan International School student at Gurugram last month.

The document that has been sent to all Deputy Commissioners, District Education Officers, Board of Secondary Education Secretary, Secretary of CBSE/ICSE in New Delhi and other state government officials, specifically mentioned that the schools not implementing these guidelines would lose government aid and recognition and face criminal action.

The government can also take over the managing committee of a private school, it said.

A major part of the guidelines – applicable to both government and private schools – cover safety of children in schools and their travel to and from school.

“Since children spend a large part of their day in schools and while travelling to and from schools hence, their safety during this time is exceedingly important. Cases of abuse of children on the school premises, or even accidents…can be reasonably prevented if some standard operating procedure is followed,” read the 23-page document that was given to the Supreme Court last week by Haryana Additional Advocate General Anil Grover.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra – which is hearing several petitions on safety of school going children – asked Grover to file it in the form of an affidavit.

The guidelines -- which recommended framing school, sub-division and district level safety committees -- also favoured installing CCTV cameras at various places in schools and ensuring fire safety.

To prevent child abuse, the guidelines stated, it was important to educate children about “good touch” and “bad touch” as also hazards of internet use and goes not to list out responsibilities of teachers and parents.

“A threat to safety can originate from any quarter. Therefore, we have to be vigilant on all these. There are many well-known risk patterns, yet at the same time, many modern and complex situations have also started coming up which cast a shadow on the safe development of the academic environment of educational institutions,” the guidelines stated emphasizing the need to ensure healthy atmosphere in schools.

Besides recommending the usual precautions such as having trained drivers and following designated routes, the Guidelines said: “Every bus should have a female teacher and one female helper/didi present on the route. Therefore, presence of an adult female is essential before the first student boards the bus at the start of the journey and also till the last student gets off at the end of the journey.”