New Delhi: The Ministry of Education has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of children in schools and other educational institutions and has asked all the states and union territories to implement the ‘Guidelines on School Safety and Security-2021’, which are in alignment with the POCSO Guidelines.
These guidelines contain provisions for fixing the accountability of the school management in the matter of the safety and security of children studying in Government, Government-aided and private schools. Further, the guidelines provide measures for preventive education, accountability of various stakeholders, reporting procedure, concerned legal provisions, support and counselling and a safe environment.
Advisory in nature, the guidelines were circulated to all states/UTs/autonomous bodies of DoSEL and stakeholder ministries in 20121. They detail the accountability of various stakeholders and different departments in ensuring the safety and security of children in schools. States/UTs were informed that they may incorporate additions/modifications to these guidelines, if deemed necessary, according to the State/UT-specific requirements and notify these guidelines.
The purpose of these guidelines is:
- to create an understanding among all stakeholders, including students and parents, on the need for co-creating a safe and secure school environment for the holistic development of children.
- to make different stakeholders aware of the acts, policies, procedures and guidelines already available on different aspects of safety and security i.e., physical, socio-emotional, cognitive and specific to natural disasters as well.
- to empower different stakeholders and enable clarity on their role in the implementation of this guideline.
- to fix accountability for keeping children safe and secure in schools (including while children are transported to and fro, to attend school or go back to their homes in a school transport) on School Management and Principals Teachers in Private/Unaided Schools, and Head/in-charge Head of School, Teachers and education administration in case of government/government-aided schools.
- A key purpose is to emphasize the ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ against any negligence on the part of any individual or management when it comes to the safety and security of children in schools.
