Edu dept bats for security committees in schools to safeguard children

Kolkata: School Education department has issued directives to all the government-run or aided schools to set up Student Safety and Security Monitoring Committee (SSMC), with an objective to check any sort of physical abuse on children.

In the order issued by the School Education department, all the primary, upper primary and secondary schools have been asked to constitute SSMCs, which would conduct sensitisation programmes for the teaching and non-teaching staff on how to deal with the students.

It has also been learnt that classes would be held to make the students aware about the good touches and bad touches. Teachers and non-teaching staff will also be trained, regarding what they should do and what they should not.

One of the objectives of this step is to ensure that the children are protected in schools. The government has taken various measures to prevent any form of bullying of students in schools.

If incidents of bullying occur, the SSMC will take firm steps against the accused. The guidelines also say that security personnel and bus drivers will not be allowed to enter school premises.

In the SSMC, the headmaster/headmistress of the school will be the chairman. A female or male teacher will be there in the committee, along with two guardians and invitee members from Health/Fire/Police departments.

The SSMCs in the secondary level will have the headmaster as the chairman, a female/male teacher, president of the school managing committee, two guardians and invitee members from Health/Police department.

Details of the committee, along with the contact details, should be displayed on the school notice board and website, for the information of all concerned. The committee should hold meetings bi-monthly. If there is any incident of sexual abuse on the children, the SSMC will carry out the probe.

The state government has made elaborate arrangements to check security issues at the schools.

The 15-point directive also states that mid-day meals should be served to the students, only after being tested by the headmaster/teacher in-charge or teacher approved for it. All preventive measures should be taken in the process of cooking and in serving or transportation of mid-day meals. Instruction has been given to conduct drives against vector borne diseases.