After sensitising heads of government schools in the education districts of Ramanathapuram and Paramakudi on child protection, the District Child Protection Unit has introduced capacity-building training programme to the heads of matriculation schools on child rights and protection.
Collector S. Natarajan, who inaugurated the one-day programme at Infant Jesus Matriculation Higher Secondary School here on Wednesday, underlined the need for close relationship between teachers and students. More than achieving academic excellence, heads of schools should focus on churning out students with good characters and self- confidence to face the future, he said. The heads of schools should be aware that they were dealing with a vulnerable group, the Class X and above adolescent students, he said and urged them to treat the students as their own children.
They should teach girl students about ‘good and bad touches’ and the girls should be aware of helplines such as 1098, 1091 and 100 available for seeking assistance in case of emergency. The heads of schools should familiarise with them, the child rights and child protection acts and ensure the protection of children, he said.
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District Child Protection Officer S. Duraimurugan said the capacity-building programme, jointly organised by the Department of Social Defence, mainly to sensitise the school heads on Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 and Child rights.
They proposed to cover Block Development Officers, Tahsidars, staff of the Integrated Child Development Scheme and police personnel with the capacity-building training in the coming days, he said.