Following seven-year-old student Pradyuman Thakur’s murder in a Gurgaon school, the Haryana government has announced that the law related to the safety of students would be amended. State Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said it would be amended in the ensuing session of the Assembly. Education department officials have the power to give directions to the management committees of schools under the Haryana School Education Act, 1995.
Additional Chief Secretary, School Education, K K Khandelwal, said the state government has framed regulations on school safety for government and private aided and unaided schools. He said three-level safety committees at district, subdivisional and school levels would be formed, headed by the deputy commissioner, sub-divisional magistrate and school head, respectively.
Khandelwal said according to the safety measures, while the child is on the way to school, students would be provided safe transportation with female escort. Trained and trusted staff such as driver, conductor, escort and manager, safe picking up and dropping, smart monitoring through CCTV and GPS tracking, handing over child to authorised persons only and fire safety, first aid, speed governors and proper visibility inside the vehicle are also part of such measures.
Khandelwal further stated that when the student reaches school, entry and exit records of all visitors should be maintained without fail. Other steps are attendance and reporting of absentees, compulsory ID cards for staff and students, special attention to secure access to accident and abuse-prone areas inside the school and extreme caution to prevent child from drowning, electric shock, fire or injury. No labourers in proximity of students, no construction work to be carried out during school hours and no adult, except female sweepers, would have access to student toilets.
