BHUBANESWAR: Amid cases of sexual assault in residential schools, especially tribal girls’ hostels, the SC & ST Development department has put in place a monitoring mechanism to keep an eye on activities in such institutions .
1,736 residential educational institutions across the state impart education to ST & SC students from primary to secondary level. The schools have around 6,000 hostels accommodating 5.2 lakh boarders of which 58 per cent are girls.
The department has set up a dedicated school and hostel monitoring cell (SHMC) to coordinate the monitoring activities of the educational institutions through a centralised grievance centre that would function round-the-clock. The move is also aimed at making the monitoring of officials at different levels accountable.
Replacing existing telephones, it has provided smartphones to 1,725 girls hostels attached to schools run by the department having 100 or more girl boarders. The students have been given a toll free number - 18003453040 - in which they can register any of their complaints including sexual harassment. Besides the monitoring mechanism and smartphones, officials said the state government has created 3,000 posts of lady matrons who will be engaged in girls’ hostels.
“The department has a zero-tolerance policy towards any sexual offences against students by the teaching or non-teaching staff. Any violation of this policy is dealt promptly and in the most stringent manner. Sexual offence against any student is treated as a major offence under the OCS (CC&A) Rules 1962 and shall be liable for dismissal from services. We are also constantly training the school staff on the POCSO Act,” said a higher official of the department.
In September last year, the Minister for ST and SC Development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare, Jagannath Saraka, had informed the State Assembly that in the last five years, there were 22 cases of sexual assault of girls reported from 188 residential high schools that were exclusively meant for tribal girls. Twelve of these girl students had delivered babies. Close to 34 people were named as accused in the cases and FIRs registered against them. These 188 residential schools have 62,385 girls studying in them.
As of now, neither parents nor visitors are allowed into a hostel room. And in case, a headmaster/principal or male teacher and principal or any other male staff is required to go into a girls’ hostel room, he should be accompanied by a lady matron, a lady teacher or any other female staff of the school.
According to the existing rules, no girl student is asked to go to any staff quarters or residential premises for any reason whatsoever. This apart, collectors of all districts screen the health of all boarders in residential tribal schools within one to two days of their joining after long vacations.
Provisions put In place
