Behaviour tests for employees of Indian schools
Following an Indian school board circular, police verification and psychometric evaluation are to be done for all staff employed by Indian schools in Oman
‘We will look into the possibility of extending the (psychometric) tests to other staff too. We will need to take this up with the individual school management committees on how to implement them’, said Wilson V. George, chairman, Board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman
MUSCAT: All staff members of Indian schools in Oman and around the world may have to undergo psychometric evaluation, India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said in a circular issued this week.
There are around 2,000 staff members spread across 19 Indian schools, teaching some 46,000 students. Psychometric tests are a scientific method used to measure an individual’s mental capabilities and behavioural style and are designed to measure a candidate’s suitability for a role based on the required personality characteristics and aptitude.
The circular, issued by CBSE Deputy Secretary Jaiprakash Chaturvedi, said, “The schools must get police verification and psychometric evaluation done for all staff employed. Such verification and evaluation for non-teaching staff, such as bus drivers, conductors, peons and other support staff may be done very carefully and in a detailed manner.” Schools have been asked to constitute separate panels like an internal complaints committee on any harassment cases.
“The details of these committees, along with contact details, should be displayed prominently on the school notice board and on the school website,” it said.
Safety audits
The board has also asked schools to get security safety audits done on their premises and follow security-related advice for the safety of schoolchildren and install CCTV cameras at all vulnerable areas/ points on the school premises and ensure they are functional at all times. The CBSE circular went on to say that access to the school building by outsiders should be controlled, visitors monitored and staff should be provided training and development to address their responsibilities to protect children from any form of abuse.
Speaking to the Times of Oman, Wilson V. George, chairman, Board of Directors of Indian Schools in Oman, said many of the requirements as per the recent circular from CBSE regarding safety and security of our children had already been implemented in the 19 Indian Schools, based on the HSE Manual.
“But psychometric test of the staff is a new measure. We conducted such tests for some senior positions, but now, with this new circular, we will look into the possibility of extending the tests to other staff too. We will need to take this up with the individual school management committees on how to implement them,” he said.
The circular comes in the aftermath of the murder of a child by a bus conductor in a school in India. The child, whose throat was slit, was found dead in the washroom of the school on September 8. The CBSE has set a two-month deadline for schools to file a compliance report.