Pune: Student Safety Measures Under Scrutiny As Schools Face Complaints Over Implementation Lapses

Pune, November 7, 2024: Following an incident in Badlapur, various student safety measures were introduced across schools, but complaints have surfaced about their inconsistent implementation. Schools in Maharashtra were instructed by the Education Department to enforce student safety measures rigorously. However, reports suggest that these protocols are not being effectively followed, prompting Additional Director of Education Dilip Jagdale to direct district-level Deputy Directors to submit a status report by November 7.

The safety guidelines include installing CCTV cameras, ensuring adequate staff, setting up a complaint box within schools, forming and adhering to Sakhi-Savitribai and student safety committees, and appointing a student safety committee at the local level. Despite these directives, Jagdale’s circular notes that numerous complaints from various sources indicate gaps in these measures.

Further issues reported include: notices issued to schools over safety gaps with no follow-up action, malfunctioning or inactive CCTV systems, unmonitored or unmaintained CCTV footage, committees only existing on paper without submitted reports, lack of safety protocols for school transport, missing contact information for transport drivers, and unverified staff background checks.

In response, the Education Department has now instructed schools to submit a detailed report on the current state of safety measures and their implementation. Officials must submit explanations for pending actions or inaction, with a full action report due by November 7.

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