Safety and security of schoolchildren

 The Supreme Court’s directive to all States and Union Territories to adopt and implement the “Guidelines on School Safety and Security” strengthens the protection of schoolchildren by placing the onus fully on school authorities for the safety and security of students. The directive has also empowered the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to monitor implementation of the Guidelines across the country. The Central Government issued the Guidelines in 2021 following a directive by the apex court, but the failure of the state governments to implement the adequately prompted child rights organisation Bachpan Bachao Andolan to seek a directive of the SC for nationwide implementation. A recent tragic incident of the death of a class IX student inside a school in Sipajhar in Assam after being attacked by a senior student sent shockwaves among parents about the safety of their children in school. The court directive has also empowered the NCPCR to seek action-taken reports or status reports from the States and UTs on implementation. This will help the NCPCR to effectively monitor the school safety ecosystem across the country. The SC allowed the States and Union Territories to make required changes in the Guidelines to meet their specific requirements. The Guidelines categorically state that when children attend school, where they spend about half a day on every school-working day, the responsibility to ensure their safety and security lies with the school authorities. When a child is in school, the school has the actual charge or control over a child, and if the school wilfully neglects the child in a manner likely to cause the child unnecessary mental or physical suffering, it may be treated as a violation of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Hence, it is the school, i.e., school management/principal/Head of school, that has the responsibility of ensuring the safety of children in schools, it explains. It adds that parents play an important role in monitoring whether the school is fulfilling its responsibility. This will be possible only when parents are made aware of the Guidelines fixing the accountability of safety of their children when they are in school on the school authorities. Wider dissemination of the Guidelines among parents is critical to its effective implementation so that they can bring it to the notice of the NCPCR, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, or any law-enforcing agencies whenever they come across any violation of the provision of the Guidelines. The Guidelines envisage a whole school safety approach that calls for participation of all stakeholders, including, among others, school management, principals, teachers, students, parents, non-teaching staff, etc., with clear roles and responsibilities towards school safety and security. Another key approach is to adopt a multi-sectoral approach that insists that it is not only schools but also homes and society; not only the Ministry of Education, but also other ministries and departments that need to share the responsibility of developing a safe and secure society in which the school functions. Operational definitions included in it have left no room for any ambiguity on the part of any stakeholder. It defines school safety as creating a safe environment for children, starting from the transportation from their homes to their schools and back. The guidelines prioritise periodic safety inspection of schools, under which the school/school management shall arrange to carry out thorough inspection of the school at least once a quarter, during school hours. It insists that the school inspection report prepared by the inspection team and duly signed by the team should be uploaded on the school website for transparency. All schools having internet facilities and their own websites will be critical to ensuring this transparency. Until that happens, circulating a copy of the inspection report with parents during routine parent-teacher meetings can be a viable option. The whole-school safety approach incorporated in the Guidelines involves all components of the school working together and being committed to taking measures to make the school environment free of crime and violence, bullying, trauma, anxiety, etc. Availability and maintenance of essential physical resources are very crucial for making the physical environment of the school safe, mainly to prevent injuries and secure equipment aimed at securing the school, it adds. Rising incidents of mental health issues remind all stakeholders in school safety to focus on psychosocial safety included in the guideline for providing a stress-free environment for conducive teaching and learning in the classrooms. This will require the teaching teachers to bring to the notice of parents whenever they observe unusual behaviours, continuous absence from classes, or any other signs of stress or depression for follow-up with the counsellor at the nearest Health and Wellness Centres. The Guidelines are comprehensive, and the SC directive has brought an opportunity for the States/UTs to ensure that all loopholes in school safety and security are immediately plugged.