The Rajasthan government has restricted the entry of outsiders into government schools without prior permission from the principal and barred photography and videography without written approval.
The move came hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) announced plans to inspect government schools across the state that it claimed were in poor condition. The order also comes amid protests at several government schools over alleged inadequate facilities and teacher shortages, with videos and reports of such demonstrations circulating in the media and on social media.
CJP co-convener Ashutosh Ranka said on Sunday that he had received requests from Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer and Hanumangarh to inspect schools in poor condition.
“Administration is refusing to heed demands to fix the schools. I will be visiting all these locations over the next few days,” Ranka said in a social media post.
Hours later, Director of Secondary Education Lalit Kumar issued a circular citing the principle of in loco parentis, under which schools have a special responsibility to protect the safety, dignity, privacy and welfare of children.
The department cited Article 21 of the Constitution, a Supreme Court ruling on the right to privacy and guidelines issued by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), saying the measures were intended to ensure a safe, protected and child-friendly environment.
Under the new directions, no outsider, except an authorised government official performing official duties, will be allowed to enter a school campus without prior permission from the principal or head of the institution. Visitors must also record their details in the visitor register.
Outsiders will not be permitted to enter classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, playgrounds, toilets or areas where student activities are taking place unless accompanied by the principal, a teacher or an authorised school official.
Photography, videography, interviews, audio recording and live streaming involving students, teachers or school activities will require prior written approval from the principal and will be permitted only for lawful purposes.
The circular also directs schools to ensure that photographs, videos or personal information of students are not collected, published or disseminated without parental or guardian consent if doing so could affect a child’s privacy, dignity or safety.
Principals have been empowered to deny entry to visitors whose presence could affect security, privacy, discipline or the educational environment. They can also ask unauthorised visitors to leave and seek police assistance if necessary.
The circular states that action may be taken under applicable laws, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
However, the order has drawn criticism from Rajasthan Assembly Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully, who accused the BJP government of attempting to conceal shortcomings in government schools rather than addressing them.
“The BJP government has found an excellent solution to broken roofs, leaking classrooms and an acute shortage of teachers. Instead of removing these shortcomings, it has issued orders to hide them from the eyes of the world,” Jully said in a social media post.
He alleged that the restrictions would prevent irregularities in schools from coming to light and demanded their immediate withdrawal.
Jully also warned that the Congress would launch a “civil disobedience movement” against the directions if they were not withdrawn at the earliest.
(With inputs from PTI)