Student safety: Schools in Bengaluru get more time to conduct safety audits
Bengaluru: As a relief to 19,500 schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), the Board has extended the deadline for schools to take safety measures and conduct safety audits. In a recent notification, Deputy Secretary (Affiliation) Jaiprakash Chaturvedi said, “The schools will get adequate time to comply with the measures, including psychometric evaluation, as specified in the final guidelines.”
Earlier last month, schools were asked to get psychometric evaluation and police verification done for all employees and to compile and submit online a detailed report, including results of such tests and safety audits, within two months. The notification had also warned schools of disaffiliation if the deadline is not met. But many school managements across the country had slammed the board for the short deadline.
President of Managements of Independent CBSE Schools’ Association M. Srinivasan said that schools in the state are still confused on various issues with the eight-point guideline issued by the Board on September 12. “Finding and allocating the budget to conduct psychometric tests on all employees continues to be on the grey side. Clarity on various issues of the order as to how frequent the tests need to be conducted, which companies to approach and how to determine the credibility of an agency to which the activity can be outsourced is still awaited,” he said.
Manju Balasubramaniam, principal, Delhi Public School (North), believes that a complete report can be sent before the first deadline set by the Board. “Regular managing committee meetings in the presence of the security advisor have helped us review our safety systems. Parent representatives were also taken around the campus after a recent PTA meeting to help them understand that safety of children is intact on the campus,” she said. On the psychometric analysis of its employees, she said that school counsellors were checking on a wide range of tests to narrow down on the best and effective method.
Worried parents, however, asked as to why the board is delaying an issue that concerns the safety of students. “A month after the shocking murder at a Gurgaon school, why is the Board moving at a snail’s pace to form a committee to study the issue and to frame a stricter policy? Are they waiting for another Pradyuman,” asked Ganga Nair, a mother of two CBSE students and an IT professional.
According to the notification, the Board has also constituted a committee to frame comprehensive guidelines to form stricter and detailed measures for the schools. “The detailed guidelines shall be brought out by the Board shortly,” Mr Chaturvedi said.
