CCTVs on school campuses a must: Maharashtra government

School vandalised during Tuesday’s protests. Pic/Navneet Barhate

Following the massive public outcry in Badlapur on Tuesday, which halted the Central Railway for nearly nine hours, the state government has taken swift action. A distressing incident sparked the protest at a Badlapur school, where two four-year-old girls were sexually assaulted by cleaning staff. In response, Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar has issued new safety guidelines for school students, formalised through a "Government Resolution" (GR) released on Wednesday evening.

The GR mandates all private schools to install CCTV cameras. This directive is part of a broader effort to tighten security and monitoring within educational institutions. The directive comes after it was discovered that the school involved lacked adequate CCTV coverage, which might have aided in solving the case. Additionally, Kesarkar announced the mandatory establishment of Vishakha Committees in all schools, which are tasked with addressing issues related to the safety and security of female students.

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Concerning the delay by the school management in addressing the incident, Kesarkar said, "An administrator would be appointed to manage the situation. All proposed safety protocols, including CCTV installation, meticulous vetting of non-teaching staff, complaint boxes, and the creation of a Sakhi Savitri Committee dedicated to student safety have been reviewed." Kesarkar warned that any cover-up attempts would result in severe consequences for the involved school authorities.

"No school should find itself unprepared for such incidents in the future. The lack of CCTV in the Badlapur school was a significant oversight, and ongoing checks will be conducted to ensure compliance with the new security measures. The responsibility for maintaining operational surveillance systems will squarely fall on the schools," Kesarker said.

Ministers jump into action

On Wednesday morning Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha wrote to the Mumbai Suburban collector demanding all schools within their jurisdiction enforce police verification for all employees. Also, that it would be mandatory to station female staff outside the girl's toilet during school hours. Guardian Minister of Badlapur Shambhuraj Desai announced that police custody of the accused, a contract employee, was extended.

Suo moto cognisance

Taking suo moto cognisance, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has initiated an inquiry. "There are concerns regarding the delayed FIR registration, which reportedly took nearly 12 hours after the incident was reported to the police. There are also questions about why a male staff member was assigned to clean the girls' restroom instead of a female staff member," the statement read.
The NHRC has requested a comprehensive report from the relevant authorities within two weeks.

Guidelines in the GR

Complaint procedure
Schools must set up complaint boxes to address security concerns of students. The heads of schools must regularly check these boxes and take action.

Formation of committees
Committees must be formed at the school, cluster, block, and district levels to address student safety concerns.

Student safety monitoring committee
At the state level, a Student Safety Monitoring Committee is to be established, which will include senior officials from the education department

CCTV cameras
Schools are mandated to install CCTV cameras on premises

Teacher, staff recruitment
When recruiting teachers and staff, schools must thoroughly verify the background of the candidates

State-Level Student Safety Grievance Committee

The following members will constitute the State-Level Student Safety Grievance Committee:
>> Commissioner of Education, Maharashtra State, Pune - Chairperson
>> Director, Primary Education, Maharashtra State, Mumbai
>> Director, State Council of Educational Research and Training, Maharashtra
>> Director of Education (Primary)
>> Director of Education (Secondary and Higher Secondary)
>> An officer from the Education Department and two female officers from the Maharashtra Education Department Headquarters.
>> System Administrator (Administration), Office of the Commissioner of Education - Member Secretary