Ministry of Education calls on states to implement school safety guidelines
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He Ministry of Education The Supreme Court has directed all states and Union Territories to implement the “School Safety and Security Guidelines 2021” to strengthen safety measures for children in schools. This directive follows the orders of the Supreme Court in Writ Petitions (Criminal) No. 136 of 2017 and (Civil) No. 874 of 2017.
The guidelines, in accordance with the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) The Act aims to ensure clear accountability of school management in public, government-aided and private schools. It focuses on preventative education, reporting mechanisms, legal provisions, support services and the promotion of a safe and conducive learning environment.
According to the ANI Report, the Ministry has asked states and Union Territories to provide updates on the status of notification of these guidelines within their jurisdictions. The guidelines, which were initially circulated on October 1, 2021, and are advisory in nature, offer flexibility to states to tailor them to local needs. They highlight a “Zero Tolerance Policy” towards negligence in child safety.
The purpose of these guidelines is to create an understanding among all stakeholders including students and parents on the need to co-create a safe and secure school environment for the holistic development of children and to sensitize the different stakeholders about the laws, policies, procedures and guidelines already available on different aspects of safety and security i.e. physical, socio-emotional, cognitive and specific to natural disasters as well.
The guidelines were developed to empower different stakeholders and enable clarity on their role in the implementation of these guidelines.
The guidelines aim to establish clear accountability for the safety of children in schools, including during transport to and from school. In private and unaided schools, this responsibility lies with the school management, head teachers and teachers, while in public and government-aided schools, it lies with the head teacher or principal in charge of the school, teachers and the education administration.
(Reported by ANI)
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