BANGALORE: The rigorous safety guidelines issued by Bangalore Police Commissioner M N Reddi to make schools safer for children is expected to result in a hike in school fees.
August 31 is the deadline for schools to appoint vigilance officers, install surveillance cameras in all school buses and hire escorts for children, among other guidelines issued by the police.
Compliance with the guidelines will result in escalation of costs and requirement of more manpower, said Mansoor Ali Khan, board of management member, Delhi Public School. “Somewhere along the way, we will have to pass on the costs to parents. Not all private schools are in the financial position to meet these requirements,” Khan said.
All branches of the Delhi Public School have over 200 cameras and GPS devices in their buses, he said. “A good CCTV camera may cost anywhere between Rs15,000 and Rs20,000. The GPS cost-per-student that companies quote is around Rs250 to Rs300, and this alone comes up to Rs2,000 a month. This is what happens when the government has a knee-jerk reaction without discussing with managements,” he said.
“Will these guidelines prevent crimes against children totally? Vibgyor High had 99 CCTVs. The point is that it has to be a collective societal effort involving schools, parents and even children,” said Usha Mohan, director, The Bangalore School in Whitefield.
Reopening Today
After being closed for more than a week, Vibgyor High School in Marathahalli is all set to resume academic activities.
About 150 parents visited the school on Sunday afternoon to review the security measures adopted ahead of its reopening and expressed satisfaction. South-4 Block Education Officer S M Ramesh said the school had installed 100 new CCTV cameras.