Telangana schools to soon get safety clubs

The School Education department is drawing plans to form such safety clubs at every mandal, district and the State level.

Hyderabad: Plans are afoot to establish safety clubs in all government, local body and private schools in the State.

These clubs that comprises teachers, parents and students will create awareness among school children on good and bad touch, judicious use of mobile phones and social media platforms. The school children through clubs will also be provided legal literacy like Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, crimes and punishments, and whom to contact in the case of emergency.

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The School Education department is drawing plans to form such safety clubs at every mandal, district and the State level. “Modalities are being worked out for establishing safety clubs in schools. An order is expected shortly,” an official said.

The move to form safety clubs in the schools by the department comes in view of the recent alleged sexual assault on a four-year girl old by a school principal’s driver in the school premises in Banjara Hills.

Following the incident, the State government constituted a committee comprising Special Chief Secretary to Government, Labour and Employment department, Special Secretary to Government, WCD & SC, and Additional DGP (Women Safety Wing), Swati Lakra to frame the guidelines on safety and security of children in the schools. The committee which met recently is chalking out guidelines.

Though the GO MS 36 mandates installation of CCTV cameras at all vulnerable points in the school premises, several school managements have been ignoring the norm. The department, according to officials, will ensure all schools strictly comply with the rules and regulations issued in the GO MS 36.

Apart from school premises, plans are being drawn to make installation of CCTV cameras compulsory in the school buses both at front and rear ends of the bus.