CHENNAI: Though the state’s school education department issued a government order (G.O.) in June 2021 outlining safety guidelines to protect students from sexual harassment, the measures laid out in the order have largely remained on paper.
The G.O. was issued after the schools in the state became the focus of the #MeToo movement, especially after allegations of sexual harassment against a commerce teacher in PSBB School.
In a recent incident, a physical education teacher of a private school in Thoothukudi was accused of spiking soft drinks with alcohol to harass female students. Interestingly, the state government swiftly issued a statement highlighting ‘proactive measures’ such as the formation of Student Safeguarding Advisory Committees mandated by the 2021 G.O. However, headmasters of both government and private schools TNIE spoke to said these committees are non-functional.
The G.O. established a high-level committee, initially headed by the now-defunct post of school education commissioner, with members including the school education director, police officers from the cybercrime and crimes against women and children wings, two educationists, and two psychologists. It is the committee that mandated the formation of school-level committees with principal, two teachers, parents, a management representative, non-teaching staff, and optionally, an external person as members. The principal is a permanent member and half the committee members must be replaced annually.
The guidelines designate November 15 to 22 as Child Abuse Prevention Week. This week was chosen to align with November 19, observed as the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse. When introduced in 2021, the initiative was actively led by School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. In 2022, the directors of Elementary Schools and SCERT issued a circular instructing schools to observe the week with awareness programmes. However, no such circular was issued in 2023, and the initiative appears to have been forgotten this year as well.
Similarly, schools are mandated to conduct annual orientation programmes on sexual offences under Pocso Act, submit compliance reports to the government and carry out safety audits. Yet, these critical measures are largely neglected.
At least 10 headmasters of higher secondary government schools said Student Safeguarding Advisory Committees, formed around 2021-22, are not being reconstituted regularly. “The department issues circulars to form various committees. The guidelines are not clear on who should conduct the annual orientation programmes for the teachers. Most committees are largely dysfunctional as we didn’t receive any instructions to reconstitute them for the past two years,” said a member of a government school headmasters’ association.
Activists criticised the lack of implementation of multiple G.O.s meant to ensure student safety and called for a holistic plan to prevent sexual harrasment incidents in schools.
Meanwhile, school education department said they have asked the officials to ensure the G.O. issued in 2021 is implemented. On the conduct of awareness week, they said they would conduct it in December as the students have examinations at present.