The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) on Tuesday issued guidelines to ensure safety and security of children in its schools. The decision was taken after a meeting called by SDMC Mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat that was attended by Standing Committee Chairman Bhupender Gupta, leader of House Shikha Rai and Commissioner Dr Puneet Kumar Goel.
They deliberated on the safety and security issues regarding the children in order to devise detailed measures for strict compliance of safety norms in SDMC-run schools.
As per the guidelines, the school administration has to ensure proper lighting in toilets. The boundary wall of the schools would also be increased in order to prevent any intrusions into the schools.
The teachers have also been instructed to ensure that no student is allowed to go to the toilet alone and is always accompanied by someone. Schools will also have to ensure that girl’s toilets are exclusively used by the girl students and female staff.
Nursery students would only be allowed to go for a toilet break along with the school ayah. Students would only be allowed to leave the school premises during school hours in the company of a teacher. School principals have to ensure that all CCTV cameras installed in the schools are fully functional.
The schools will have to maintain a visitor register and fix a time for the visitors coming to the school. Further, school attendants have been deployed at the main gate to keep vigil of the students or visitors. The guidelines say that it is the duty of the school administration to ensure that mid-day-meal staff of the NGOs should have proper ID-Cards and their antecedents have also been verified by police. The school will have to prominently display the telephone numbers of the police control room, local police station and name and number of the beat officer on the notice board.
The Mayor and the leaders stressed upon the need for strict compliance with the guidelines. She stated that any lukewarm response by the principals, teachers and other employees will be taken seriously and this will attract harsh action.
“Security of children in SDMC schools is of prime importance. It is our priority to provide a fearless and safe atmosphere in the school as the students facing fear are bound to become mentally weak. Hence, the compliance of the guidelines is imperative and unavoidable,” she added.
Sehrawat further informed that as per the guidelines, the principals of the schools are supposed to ensure safety audit of their respective schools along with school management committee members and staff of the school as per standard safety norms. “They will also ensure that the character and antecedents of all the employees working in the schools have been duly verified by the Police,” she said.