With Rape, Murder Incidents Reported from Schools, UP Govt Re-Issues 2015 Rules; Experts Weigh In

Is your child safe in school? The question has perturbed most parents of Uttar Pradesh after a sudden spate of rape, sexual abuse, molestation and murder incidents being reported from on the school premises in the last one year.

Even though the state government has re-issued comprehensive guidelines, originally formulated in 2015, to prevent physical, mental and sexual abuse of children in all educational institutions, experts believe a lot more still needs to be done.

Manini Srivastava, a psychology professor at the Lucknow university, said schools have always been considered safe and secure places of learning by both parents and children, but, of late, certain incidents on the premises have somehow tried to uproot this faith. “These issues can be addressed with a collective effort from educators, administrators, students, parents, and the broader community. By implementing certain strategies, schools can create safe environments and reduce the occurrence of such incidents,” said Srivastava.

To spread awareness, schools should implement comprehensive sex education programmes that educate students about consent, healthy relationships, and personal boundaries, Srivastava insisted. There should be strong policies in schools, and confidentiality should be maintained in order to encourage students and teachers to report incidents without fear of retaliation.

“There should be emotional support and counselling services within the school to provide emotional support to students who have experienced trauma. Also, schools should conduct regular training sessions for teachers and staff to raise awareness about recognising signs of abuse, dealing with disclosures and reporting procedures. Teachers should be equipped to identify and address such issues,” she added.

She further said community, parents and guardians should be involved to prevent harassment and abuse.

A senior lawyer from Lucknow, S Mohammed Haider, says, “Compiling guidelines and its implementation are two different things. I think that their implementation is equally important, and, in some way or the other, schools are lacking on the implementation part.”

What Do the Guidelines Say?

The guidelines by the state government hold the school management or the principal responsible in order to provide safe environment to students. It also explains that the school premises should be made in a way that the main gate should be visible from all the points and at least one window or door from the classroom should open towards the courtyard. Nursery wing should be made in a separate building in a senior secondary school, according to the guidelines.

It further directs parents, especially in rural pockets, to motivate their children to move in groups while going to or coming from school. Besides, parents should visit schools to collect their ward from schools.

It further warns if the school transport facility is available, the management should ensure GPS is installed on the bus and is functional, and children and women and police helpline numbers are displayed at any given point.

At least one teacher should accompany the students on the school bus, and the school management should maintain the record of the bus drivers, cleaners, owners of the vehicles and should hire them only after police verification.

Besides, the guidelines also direct the management and staff to create a physical, mental and sexual harassment free environment in schools and conduct workshop time to time to create awareness among the children.

Cases Reported from Schools

The recent death of a Class 10 student on the school premises in Ayodhya has added to the shock and agony of parents in the state. The girl was asked by the principal to come to the school early on May 26 for a counselling session during the summer vacation. Around 9.50 am, the school authorities called her father to the hospital, saying she sustained injuries after falling from a swing, but the CCTV footage revealed that she fell from the building, according to a police officer who was quoting from the complaint.

The father in his complaint alleged that the two teachers, who were present in the school, raped his daughter and threw her from the terrace of the school building.

The principal and two staff members of the school were booked for alleged gang-rape and murder of the 15-year-old girl, the police said.

In another incident, in Shahjahanpur district on May 15, a junior high school teacher was accused of sexually assaulting at least 15 girl students. The police recovered offensive materials from the toilet of the school. The accused, who was posted as a computer teacher at the junior high school, was booked for molestation under the Protection of Child from Sexual Offences Act 2012 (POCSO).

This is not all. On April 16, a Class 1 student allegedly raped a three-year-old on the terrace of a school building in Muzaffarpur; an eight-year-old girl was allegedly abducted from her house and sexually assaulted by a 25-year-old man inside a government-run primary school in Lakhimpur Kheri district on May 5.