Centre to form guidelines for protection of children in schools

Union Ministers of Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi and Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar will hold a high-level meeting on the issue Wednesday.
EPS file image used for representational purpose only
EPS file image used for representational purpose only

NEW DELHI:  With recent incidents of children abused in schools and latest being the murder of a 7-year-old boy in Gurugram, Centre has convened a meeting of the child rights body, educational bodies like CBSE to formulate a set of guidelines which schools must follow to protect children from any kind of abuse.

Union Ministers of Women & Child Development Maneka Gandhi and Human Resource Development Prakash Javadekar will hold a high-level meeting on the issue Wednesday.

The meeting will be attended by officials from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan.

Gandhi also spoke to Javadekar about the issue requested him to consider suggestions like having women employees as the support staff and bus drivers, conductors in the schools and having strict norms for employing the support staff.

She also called for screening of educational films on child sexual abuse in the schools, popularizing POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) e-Box and Childline 1098 through NCERT publications. The minister has also sent a detailed letter to HRD minister suggesting possible measures for protection of children in schools.  

“The basic objective of the meeting of the two ministries is to develop a set of guidelines and protocols which schools must follow so that the children remain protected from any kind of abuse or physical/ mental harm,” said Gandhi.

The WCD Minister further stated that the parents, guardians and teachers should remain vigilant about the children as well as their behavior and any suspected situation should be reported immediately on the Childline No.1098 and the POCSO e-Box.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development has already started its outreach campaign for protection of children through electronic as well as social media.

The murder of a 7-year-old boy in Ryan International School, Gurugram by a bus conductor and a 5-year-old girl raped by peon in a Delhi school has raised serious concerns over safety of children in schools.

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