Strictly follow the guidelines against abuse, schools told

In a statement, the government said State Project Director Vijay Kiran Anand has sent a letter to all district Basic Education Officers to ensure action in this regard. “The guidelines should be followed in all primary, upper primary, composite, and Kasturba Gandhi Girls Schools. Ensure strict compliance by all the principals, teachers, staff, warden, and members of the school management committee,” the letter read.

The purpose of the guidelines issued on February 23, 2015, is to protect the safety of children in the state and prevent crime against children and protect school-going children from physical and mental harassment. It has also fixed accountabilities for harassment of children on the principals, teachers and other officials of the concerned institution.

“It is the responsibility of every school management/school management committee and principals to create a safe and secure environment for children on school premises, while they are on the way to school and during their field visits outside the school,” the guidelines stated.

The guidelines mentioned a series of measures to protect schoolchildren, including installation of GPS system in school buses, mandatory verification of driver and helper, advertising of child helpline, women helpline, and police station numbers inside buses, and deployment of two teachers in each school bus.