The city police have decided not to penalise schools just yet for not implementing the nine-point guidelines they issued for ensuring safety of children in educational institutions. August 31 was the deadline set by the police.
The police will now wait for the outcome of the meeting of school managements with the Commissioner for Public Instruction on September 3.
The police had issued the guidelines after the rape of a six-year-old at a school in Marathahalli. But, school managements had not only demanded extension of the deadline, but also opposed some guidelines, including installation of cameras in buses and appointment of floor vigilance officers.
“We will wait for the outcome of the September 3 meeting to decide the future course of action. The intention of the police is not to penalise schools but to ensure the safety of every child in school,” Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi told The Hindu .
The Karnataka Private Schools Joint Action Committee has moved court against the deadline set by the city police. D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the committee, said, “We believe that this matter requires greater debate. Knee-jerk reactions to incidents will not help in framing policies.” There is confusion among school managements because the Department of Public Instruction has also issued 70-point safety guidelines, but has not set a deadline for their implementation. The guidelines, however, have no legal binding. Terming the police guidelines “irrelevant”, the Karnataka Unaided Schools Managements’ Association has urged the Education Department to implement one set of comprehensive guidelines.
Some schools are grappling with meeting deadlines and trying to mobilise funds for installation of CCTV cameras and GPS devices in buses, while many others are adopting a wait-and-watch policy by implementing guidelines that do not involve financial constraints such as issuing identity cards for parents. “Government schools have been completely left out of the process,” alleged a government school headmaster in the city who is yet to receive the guidelines.
