Maneka, Javadekar, CBSE officials to hold meet on safety protocol in schools

Minister of Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi, Minister of Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar and CBSE officials will today hold a high-level meeting to develop a set of guidelines and protocols for schools to ensure the safety and security of students.

This comes in the wake of the gruesome killing of a seven-year-old boy at the Ryan International School in Gurugram.

Taking note of the seriousness of the incidents of child abuse in schools, both the ministry had called for a meeting on September 12.

Earlier, in a telephonic discussion, Maneka requested Javadekar to consider suggestions like having women employees as the support staff and bus drivers/conductors in the schools, screening of educational films on child sexual abuse in the schools, popularising POCSO e-Box and Childline 1098 through NCERT publications and having strict norms for employing the support staff.

Maneka had also given the suggestions in her letter to the HRD Minister.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has already started its outreach campaign for protection of children through electronic as well as social media.

Maneka stated that the basic objective of the meeting of the two ministries is to develop a set of guidelines and protocols which schools must follow so that the children remain protected from any kind of abuse or physical/mental harm.

She further stated that the parents, guardians and teachers should remain vigilant about the children as well as their behaviour and any suspected situation should be reported immediately on the Childline No.1098 and the POCSO e-Box.