CHENNAI: Following reports of student harassment by drivers and conductors in private school vehicles, the Directorate of Private Schools has issued guidelines to be followed by schools across the state. These include mandatory appointment of female assistants, employing drivers with a minimum experience of 10 years and no police case against them, and fitting GPS and CCTV cameras in the vehicles. The schools have been asked to upload the details of vehicles, drivers and assistants on the Education Management Information System (EMIS) portal by April 5.
The directives were issued based on court orders, the Tamil Nadu Motor Vehicles (Regulation and Control of School Buses) Special Rules, and government orders.
The assistants should be provided training on their responsibilities and also explained about the POCSO Act within a month of their joining. The drivers should undergo breath analysis daily and data from CCTV cameras must be stored for at least six months.
“The details uploaded in the EMIS portal will be used to check the vehicles during inspections ahead of the next academic year. We will ensure these rules are enforced with help from the transport department to provide a safe environment for the children,” said an official from the department.