MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE IN STATE SCHOOLS

Chennai: At a time when the cases of sexual assault on children are escalating in educational institutions, the subject of ‘safety’ seems to be a bigger question ahead. Even though the Protection of Children Against Sexual Offences Act mandates schools to embrace strict safety measures, there are huge disparities in the private and government schools. While majority of private schools are equipped with the CCTV network, such basic security measures seem to be a far cry in government schools. "There is staff on the rounds and a comprehensive CCTV network that ensure the safety of children on the school campus. Also, teachers give students a lot of comfort level that helps them to have a free discussion," said Dr K. Mohana, principal of Modern Senior Secondary School.

Government schools, on the other hand, are deprived of any facilities. A senior staffer of the Adi Dravidar Welfare Higher Secondary School in Moulivakkam said, ‘‘There are no CCTV cameras in our school. It has to be approved by the chief education officer office.’’ The concept of sex education is confined to students of high school, even though children around 4 years of age are being sexually assaulted in the country. Most of the schools, Deccan Chronicle spoke to, admitted that their counselling is mostly on suicide prevention and stress management.

‘‘We counsel students of high school twice a year. Most of it relates to the measures to cope up with the exam tension. Sometimes, we also sensitise students about the good and bad touch, but not to students below 10 years of age,’’ said senior staff from the government school.