Thiruvananthapuram/Kochi: A seven-year-old boy was recently found dead inside the washroom of the Gurgaon-based Ryan International School allegedly following an attempted sexual abuse, with his throat slit and a knife near his body.
Later the Gurgaon Police arrested a bus conductor, identified as Ashok Kumar, employed by the school.
Police said the killer attempted to abuse the boy before murdering him.
Following, this, his father approached the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe, and the court asked the responses of the Central and the Haryana state governments.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also asked the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to respond and frame guidelines to fix responsibility of school managements in such cases and also regarding the safety and security of children.
The incident reported in Haryana has also raised concerns in the state on an effective mechanism to monitor the safety of students in schools.
Former member of the Kerala State Child Rights Commission J. Sandhya said the reality was that state did not have an effective safety protocol for children in schools.
"The related issues only become a topic of discussions when such incidents are reported, and the authorities would issue various guidelines. However, they are fast forgotten," she told DC.
There have been attempts to install drop boxes in schools. However, in most schools it was dysfunctional. It was not only supporting staff like bus conductors accused in such cases.
"There have been instances of teachers involved in such complaints, and they are often transferred to other schools. The issue was that even then they are in contact with students. They should have been transferred to some offices under the education department to ensure that they do not come in contact with students," Ms Sandhya said.
Kerala CBSE School Management Association president T. P. M. Ibrahim Khan said the menial staff was normally appointed after an inquiry into their previous history.
"However, this is not enough. The managements should also monitor the movement of the staff on the camp," he told DC.
Child Rights Commission chairperson Sobha Koshy said some complaints about sexual offences in schools have come up before it. However, none of them involved an unaided school.
According to K. A. Francis, general secretary of Confederation of Kerala Sahodaya Complexes and the principal of Naipunnya Public School, Kakkanad, Kochi, the situation in Kerala CBSE schools is far different from northern Indian schools.
“I had been to schools both there and Kerala as part of inspections for giving CBSE affiliation. Kerala CBSE schools have better infrastructure compared,” he said.
“There are CCTV cameras in most schools in our state in spaces like entrance, corridors, corners and playground. The CCTV footages are also recorded for inspections later, and normally the principal is the authority for that.”
He also said that due to public awareness and consciousness, both society and school authorities are vigilant about the security of students.
“There may be complaints about fee structures, but never about the safety and security of students. Moreover, 90 percent of the faculty in most schools are women, who reassure on safety,” he said.
Shiny V. Thomas, principal, Global Public School, Cherpu, Thrissur, said at her school, care is taken to ensure that pupils do not reach too early to school or stay back too late.
“We have friendly talks with students to know their problems and handle them accordingly. We explain situations to them as we offer remedies, which makes a lasting impact,” she said.
“We also teach them what a right touch is and a wrong touch is. The school also does not allow mobile phones on the campus. One period is devoted to value education using proper clippings. We also do not encourage them to search on the net for projects and assignments. Parents too are sensitised on various aspects.” Dr Lakshmi Haridas, principal of Al Ameen Public School, Edappally, said the movement of school conveyance is tracked through GPS to ensure the safety of students while on the move.
“CCTVs ensure their safety while on the campus. We also give classes to school bus drivers and the assistants in the bus to ensure proper treatment to children and their safety,” she said.
“Teachers sit with younger students while they take snacks and lunch. The school cabinet has the charge of corridors as well. The staff also has responsibility for their safety.”
