MUMBAI: From the academic year 2018-19, parents in Maharashtra will get a text message from the school management if their wards are absent in class. A decision to this effect was taken by the state education department to ensure the safety and security of students. The move will be mandatory for all schools in the state, irrespective of the board to which they are affiliated. According to the circular issued by the department, which will be directed to every school, the text message will help parents know of their wards’ presence or absence in school.
Apart from text messages, the circular mentions other pointers to be followed by schools, including marking the attendance of each child three times a day during school hours; and not punishing children in a way that will cause mental or physical trauma. Additionally, schools have been asked to verify staff before recruiting them. A character certificate of each employee, including the faculty, staff and sub-staff including peons and drivers should be prepared after collecting relevant information from the police station concerned.
For the safety of girl students in schools, a female attendant should be deployed near the girls’ washroom, school buses, and on each floor of the school. They would also accompany them while moving from one place to the other within the school. “Several of the points mentioned in the circular are already being followed by most of the schools, including us,” principal of a south Mumbai school said. “However, now, as the department has charted out guidelines and norms, schools will be obliged to follow and hence, bring in more safety for students in schools and campuses.”
