The sexual assault of a seven-year-old school-girl at Vascomust be considered as a wake-up call for the authorities concerned to providesecurity to children in various schools in the state. Given the presentsecurity system in schools, every school is vulnerable to such an attack. Thecall of the general public is to have CCTV cameras installed and increase thesecurity personnel in the school premises. It must be said that while thebigger schools are in a position to install CCTV cameras, it is the childrenstudying in small schools as well as government schools who are more at risk ofsuch diabolic attacks. Hence unless the government provides the necessaryfunds, providing CCTV cameras may be a far cry for the schools in the villages. Once a student steps into the schoolpremises, the safety of the student is the responsibility of the schoolmanagement.
The EducationDepartment needs to put down certain guidelines which the schools need tostrictly adhere to. Some suggestions are as follows:
1) Have acompound wall around the school with only one entry/exit point which is mannedby security personnel.
2) The guardshould maintain a register of those entering the school premises, which notesthe entry and departure time of the visitor, reason for the visit, name of thestudent of whom he/she is the parent, mobile number and proof of identity.
3) The guardshould be able to contact the head of the institution by his mobile if he wantssome clarification regarding a certain visitor.
4) There shouldbe a certain time interval allotted for parents to visit the school. Thisshould not coincide with the school recess. Only parents of the students shouldbe allowed to enter the school.
5) The teachersshould be sensitised on the safety aspect.
6) The teachershould have a head count before and after the children go out for the recess.
7) If a studentdoes not wish to go out during the break, he/she should be made to sit in thestaff-room and not left alone in the class-room.
8) Childrenshould also be made aware of the safety rules.
9) They should betold not to talk to strangers and not to eat anything given by strangers.
10) They should betold to call out for help whenever an unknown person tries to speak to them.
11) Many a times itis seen that teachers are more eager to go home after school than the students.Hence some of them occupy the seats in the school bus followed by the students.
12) In the Primarysection it is the responsibility of the class-teacher to see that every studententers the school-bus or is taken by the parent. Here too a head-count of thestudents may be necessary.
Schools are the second home for the students as they spendmuch of their time here. Let us make ourschools as safe as our homes for our children.
Adelmo Fernandes, Vasco
