New state guidelines for safety of school students

State govt issues directives in the wake of last year's sexual assault on children at a school in Badlapur

- HT Correspondent

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.