The chairman of the Uttarakhand Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (UCPCR) Yogendra Khanduri has written to the chief secretary regarding stringent implementation of existing laws and drafting of new regulations to ensure the protection of school children from various crimes.
In his letter to the chief secretary, Khanduri said that various steps need to be taken to ensure that schoolchildren do not suffer incidents like murder, sexual assault and stampede. The state administration should ensure that a safety report card is prepared for every school. Closed circuit television cameras should be installed in all schools and the operation of the CCTV cameras should be ensured on a daily basis.
“In every school, there should be separate toilets for juniors, seniors and employees. Police verification of all teachers and employees of a school should be mandatory. The mental health of the school staff should also be regularly checked. There should also be a counselor for the children in each school.
There should be a parents teachers association in each school with meetings being held on a monthly basis. Strict action should be taken against any school it if management does not act on these points,” stated Khanduri. He said that additionally, there is need for making some new regulations to ensure the safety of school children in mountainous regions. The routes to the school should be made proper. Effective measures should be taken for protection from wild animals and damaged school buildings should be repaired immediately, he added. The UCPCR chairman has asked the chief secretary to form a high level committee and enact necessary regulations for the safety of school children.