In the wake of the alleged abuse of two preschoolers in Badlapur, some schools in the city have conducted special sessions to sensitise their students and employees about sexual harassment.
Most of the schools say that they have already incorporated such educational and awareness programmes within their curricula and routinely interact with students about keeping themselves safe in school and outside. However, the school leaders are asking their teachers and staff to be more alert towards the safety of students and are looking at additional ways to enhance security on their premises.
Narayana E-Techno School in Thane held counselling sessions for students of various age groups. While the younger students were taught about 'good touch, bad touch' and interacting with strangers, older students got lessons in the proper use of social media. A separate event was also held for parents, who were encouraged to spend quality time with their children.
“Nowadays, parents are busy with their office work, with children left under the care of maids. The students end up exploring social media for the wrong purposes,” said Shashikala Chamakuri, principal of the school.
The school authorities also held an interaction with staffers, who were asked to refrain from touching students under any circumstances. “We have verified all the documents related to our staff. A female in-charge has been appointed on each floor, while the male staff is confined to the ground floor. The male and female washrooms are located on the opposite sides of the building,” explained the principal.
Some schools are providing self-defense lessons to students. “We already have Karate classes in school. On Saturday, we have a self-defence workshop for girls, while a similar workshop will be organised for boys next week. The girls are taught about the precautions they need to take, including in the digital world,” said Deepa Ghelani, principal of Pinnacle High International School, Malad.
The Badlapur incident also hightended the sense of vigilance among the schools. “We have an all-female staff for pre-primary and primary staff, including ancillary staff. The few male staffers work in the office on the ground floor and whenever someone enters for any work, a proper verification of their documents is done,” said Asha Binu Kumar, principal of Swami Vivekanand English School in Kurla.
Following the directives issued by the state government, Pawar Public School in Dombivali is now planning to include student representatives in its Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). “While we have been carrying out various programmes for student safety, we might now add the headboy and headgirl to ICC, as has been recommended by the government,” said Ishita Chowdhury, the school principal.
Among other safety measures, Podar International School in Kalyan has installed buzzers in washrooms, allowing students to raise an alarm in the event of an emergency. “Our school is the safest place for students after their home,” asserts the principal Sanjay Nandi.
