West Bengal govt proposes guidelines for private schools to ensure safety of students

These guidelines were on Monday forwarded to the self-regulatory commission, which was set up by the government in May to monitor the functioning of private schools. Schools will have to abide by the guidelines once they are approved by the commission. (Representational Illustration)

In the wake of the alleged sexual assault of a four-year-old girl at a premier school in south Kolkata recently, the state education department has recommended guidelines for private institutes to ensure security of students. Sources in the state education department said that the recommendations included advising private schools to appoint female attendants for girl students. Such attendants must also be deployed in school buses.

The department has also recommended that junior girl students at private schools will be accompanied by female attendants to washrooms. The recommendations also included deployment of female teachers in physical education classes taken by male teachers.

These guidelines were on Monday forwarded to the self-regulatory commission, which was set up by the government in May to monitor the functioning of private schools. Schools will have to abide by the guidelines once they are approved by the commission.

The four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by two physical education teachers in the school washroom. The incident had sparked outrage with parents staging protests, demanding safety of their children. State education minister Partha Chatterjee had said that the government would feel compelled to interfere in the matters of private schools to ensure safety of the students.