Maharashtra govt puts pressure on schools after sexual assault on nursery school girls

Bombay:A day after the outcry over the sexual abuse of nursery girls in a Badlapur school, the state education department has asked all schools to install CCTV cameras on the school premises for the protection of students, teachers and non-teaching staff. Private schools will be suspended if they fail to comply with the order within a month. The government has also asked the management to install a complaint mailbox on the school premises.

There are 65,431 government schools, 23,948 state-aided private schools and 4,393 unaided private schools in Maharashtra. Around two million students are currently studying in schools in the state.

According to the government resolution, surveillance cameras will be compulsorily installed in the main premises of all private schools. If a school fails to do so within a month, subsidies will be suspended or recognitions of schools will be cancelled if necessary.

“Schools have been directed to review CCTV footage periodically. If any objectionable material is found in the CCTV footage, the principal and the school management committee will be duty-bound to take appropriate action. The principal will have to review the CCTV footage three days a week. For this, the school will have to have a control room,” the GR said.

It was also stated that the director had been instructed to contact local police if any misconduct was observed.

The GR also mentioned that government and local schools which have not yet installed the CCTV system should give priority to it. “We have also provided a 5 per cent allocation from the DPC (district planning committee) for installing CCTV in government and local schools,” an official said.

The GR also asked schools to monitor the behaviour of non-teaching staff. “Schools have been asked to obtain character certificate of security guards, constables, assistants, school bus drivers, among others, from the police before hiring them. The school should preferably hire female non-teaching staff for students below the age of six,” the GR said.