BANGALORE: The Namma Bengaluru Foundation and the Child Rights Trust will hold an interactive session between child psychiatrists, activists, policy-makers, law enforcement officials and legislators on Saturday to chalk out a plan for improving the current systems in place for child safety.
The organisations want participation from parents and teachers who can share inputs.
At a press conference on Thursday, Sridhar Pabbisetty, a public policy specialist said, “We are expecting DCP Rohini Katoch, Commissioner for Public Instruction Mohammed Mohsin, Advisor to the state Women and Child Welfare Department Suchitra Rao, and psychiatrist Shyam Bhat.”
The Foundation is also pushing for the setting up of a National Child Sex Offenders’ Registry. “We are also looking at establishing a federation of parents’ associations as well as setting up child-friendly medico-legal procedures,” Bhat said.
Vasudeva Sharma, Executive Director of the Trust welcomed the High Court’s censure of schools on Wednesday. “School management committees are opposing the setting up of parents’ associations and are also opposing any act which makes it compulsory,” he said.
All these aspects are expected to be discussed at the session which will be held at the Kincha Hall of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on Race Course Road. The event will begin at 10 am and continue till 1 pm.
Free training for School Bus Drivers
Schools across the city can send their bus drivers and transportation managers for a day-long certificate programme on aspects of transporting children. The programme, organised by school solutions provider NorthStar and the Institute of Road Traffic Education, will be provided free of cost. The module will include an introduction to basic problems faced by drivers, training on road rules, code of conduct, defensive driving, preparing for and handling emergencies and soft skills modules on how to interact with children of different age groups. NorthStar CEO Bobbie H Kalra said schools can log on to the NorthStar website to register their employees. On how schools can encourage their drivers to perform better, Kalra said they can reward best drivers on the school’s Annual Day or give them cash awards.