Security at municipal schools still inadequate

Security measures at municipal schools after the rape of a seven-year-old girl at a school in Mongolpuri here still remain inadequate despite a slew of safety guidelines issued to be adopted at the earliest.
The minor's rape on March 1 sparked outrage over the lax security at city schools under the three municipal corporations, leading to announcements of a number of safety guidelines to be adopted at these institutions.
But even as the new session started almost a fortnight ago, school principals have said that they remain dissatisfied with the security measures in place.
"There is one chowkidar at the school but no security guard or attendant," said Nam Pal Singh, principal of the primary school at Raj Nagar under South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

"In the evening shift for which I am responsible, about 1000 children attend classes. In the absence of a guard and a low boundary wall, security is a major issue," he said.
"I have repeatedly demanded that the height of boundary wall be raised but to no avail. There is a senior secondary school right beside the primary one and students from there are constantly scaling the wall to enter this premises," he added.

In fact, the North Corporation in wake of the Mongolpuri incident constituted a committee which ruled that every school must have an attendant, a chowkidar, a security guard, CCTV camera monitoring as well as mandatory I-cards for staff coming in to serve mid-day meals.

The South and East Corporation too had agreed that similar measures were indeed necessary.
But five months since, little has changed on the ground.
As Hukum Singh Singmar, principal of primary school at Sultanpuri G Block under North Delhi Municipal Corporation, says, the need of posting security guards at the gates is a vital necessity.
"I have asked time and again for new wire fencing on the boundary wall but nothing has been done. I have to constantly be on the lookout as anti-social elements keep entering the premises," he added.