JEYPORE: With teenage pregnancies and sexual harassment of hostel inmates of residential schools in the district raising serious concern, the Collector has issued warning to the heads of SC and ST Welfare department-run institutions to ensure strict health monitoring of the girls.
The Collector Madhusudan Mishra has directed the school authorities to maintain and monitor red books or health records of every inmate with an aim of prevent teenage pregnancies and sexual harassment.
The decision comes after two teenage pregnancies were reported from two sevashram (elementary) schools in the district last week.
Following this, Collector has asked headmasters and headmistresses to engage Health Department staff for monthly health check-up of adolescent school girls and maintaining records of their period cycle and other health issues in the red books. Any irregularities in doing so will be viewed strictly and action would be taken against the school heads, he said at a meeting recently.
The Collector also asked the school authorities not to allow any male members in school hostels under any circumstances.
According to reports, husband of headmistress of Phampuni Upgraded Upper Primary School in Jeypore block had allegedly impregnated a Class VII student of the school.
He used to stay in the school campus and forcibly established physical relationship with the 13-year-girl, who was found pregnant during a medical examination recently.
The accused was arrested on Saturday. Similarly, a girl student of Burja Sevashram school under Dasmantpur block was found pregnant last week and one person arrested in this connection.
Although it is mandatory for SC and ST Welfare Department-run schools to maintain red books of girl students, it is not being done. In 2018, two cases of teenage pregnancies were reported from these schools in Koraput district.