Schools undertake confidencebuilding measures
PARENTS’ POINT Educational institutions must check background of all staff, no area on the campus should be left unguarded, they suggest
The expressions of parents waiting outside educational institutions say it all – they are concerned over the safety of children during school hours.
After the tragic incident in a Gurgaon school, a number of principals in Lucknow are taking measures to boost the confidence of parents by scheduling meetings with them.
“As part of immediate steps, all classrooms and toilets will be locked within 15 minutes of the school getting over. The staff will remain on the campus till all children leave,” said Aashrita Dass, principal, La Martiniere Girls’ College, in a WhatsApp message to parents.
“All support staff have been asked to be more vigilant. We request you to please talk to your daughters and advise them not to talk to strangers, not go alone anywhere and follow the rules of the college,” her message reads.
Jagdish Gandhi, founder manager, City Montessori School (CMS), said, “City Montessori School puts child safety first, by having safety procedures and practices in place. Teachers patrol the corridors during recess time and also see off children at dispersal time when they board their buses, vans and rickshaws.”
“Caretakers, nodal officers, drivers and conductors are all trained from time to time, in implementing security protocols. We have firewalls in place to restrict Internet use exclusively for educational purposes. We have separate people for fire safety, school transport safety, electrical safety and for safetyrelated training. We are also in the process of making our school’s social-media policy,” he said.
“We are answerable and need to develop systems and processes to keep a check on what goes on in our institution on a daily basis. Strict action on complaints about misconduct of support staff is imperative even if it means hiring additional staff to do this,” said Taru Saxena, manager, St Anjani’s Public School (Rajajipuram).
On the other hand, parents say schools should to take full responsibility of children’s safety because they pay hefty fees for their child’s education.
“Child safety should not be delegated to security agencies or contractors. It is important for administrative staff to be involved in a continuous dialogue with children about issues being faced by them,” said Ankur Gupta whose child goes to an English medium school in Hazratganj.
PARENTS’ TAKE
As children spend nearly six hours a day in school, their safety during this time is extremely important, says parents. “Being the mother of a seven-year-old kid, I can feel the pain of Pradyuman’s Thakur’s family,” said Parul Srivastava of Indira Nagar.
“The Gurugram incident is a wake-up call for all of us. The brutal murder has left parents scared and concerned about their children’s safety on the campuses. Security has to be the prime concern of all schools and parents should be involved in the process. Schools should conduct a thorough background check of all teachers and employees before appointing them,” said Srivastava.
“The Gurugram incident is spine chilling. The big question is: who is accountable for the safety of our children? In my view, it is the collective responsibility of the school management and parents. Both should be cautious,” stated Archana Srivastava, a worried mother of two.
“The school management must cross-check the background of all their staff besides those hired to drive school buses. No area within the school premises should be left unguarded,” she suggested.
Parents must also make their wards aware about the ‘lurking danger’ and how they should be wary of it to save themselves, she added.