By Manish Rastogi
The recent unfortunate incidents have again highlighted the importance of students’ safety in educational institutions. Parents trust the educational institutes to implement various safety measures for their wards, especially when they are paying hefty fees. It is essential to emphasis and adhere to strict guidelines that make our premises safe and secure for all students. We need to collectively work towards ensuring that our temples of learning are always safe & secure, more so for the girl students!
The reason for such repeated incidents is primarily due to the negligence over women’s safety. Keeping this in mind, strict guidelines should be followed by all educational institutions, right from kindergarten to the postgraduate levels. Schools, colleges and other educational institutions should thoroughly verify the staff appointed by them to ensure no untoward incidents occur and everyone should take the necessary precautions.
Create a safe atmosphere
Apart from education, the priority of any school should be to create a secure environment for their students so that the parents can trust us with their kids. Their emphasis should be to take all necessary measures for the safety of female students in schools. The increasing crimes against children are a matter of concern for our society, hence we need to prevent such incidents.
Surveillance is the key
While installing CCTVs, make sure that all blind spots are covered. The entire school premises should be brought under the surveillance of CCTV cameras. Cameras should be installed, and their safety and proper functioning should be periodically checked by the authorities. Do not compromise on the quality of these critical systems and their accessories.
Secure campus designs, including well-lit areas, controlled access points and surveillance systems, contribute to a safer environment. Schools must frequently evaluate and improve their security measures to ensure their effectiveness.
Background checks, sensitising the staff
Various background checks of staff should be in place to fool proof the security of girls who depend on them and police verification should be conducted for all. Sensitize your staff about the important nature of their role so they don’t take it casually.
A female staff member should be permanently assigned outside the girls’ washrooms and female sanitation workers should be responsible for cleaning washrooms meant for underage girls. A female member should also be present in buses, taxis and vans used for student transportation. Schools should prefer only female staff for taking care of children up to six years of age. Also, bring in more female security officers in schools.
Good touch, bad touch
Imparting knowledge to girls should go beyond traditional education. Conducting regular classes to identify good touch or a bad touch at an early age will help. It is important to teach the difference between the two so they can identify when they are experiencing either. They should know that it is okay to say no, even if it’s a family member or friend.
Schools should also provide self-defense training to girls by roping in the required experts. This will make our daughters courageous, giving them confidence to bravely negotiate such incidents. In case of an emergency, students should be encouraged to report the incidents and posters regarding this should be displayed in schools.
Wide-ranging safety policies
A critical component of a safe educational environment is having well-defined safety policies. Implementing comprehensive safety policies with clear reporting mechanisms is crucial. These policies should outline the steps that will be taken to address complaints. Moreover, maintain a monitoring and prompt response system that will deter probable threats and address any wellbeing concerns promptly.
Parents and stakeholder engagement
A dedicated group of female parents should be created in the school. Periodic gatherings of this committee should be held to discuss various safety issues of girl students. Parents and the larger community should be involved in welfare initiatives which will reinforce the overall protective network. Community participation guarantees that security procedures are strengthened beyond school premises and thus there is a cooperative assurance to addressing and preventing issues of this nature.
The author is CEO of Zee Learn Ltd.
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