The Maharashtra government announced new safety rules for all schools in the state on Tuesday, May 13. These steps were taken after the sexual assault of two kindergarten students in August 2024. The incident happened at a pre-primary school in Badlapur (East), Thane.
After this, the state has made several rules for schools:
1. Schools must now take roll calls three times a day.
2. If any student is missing, the school must send a text message to the parents.
3. CCTV cameras must be installed in all parts of the school.
4. One camera must be placed outside the restrooms. Private schools must follow this rule.
5. The CCTV footage must be saved for at least one month.
6. All school buses must also have CCTV cameras.
7. A female staff member must be present in every school bus.
8. Schools must also check the background of all staff before hiring them.
9. They must get a police character certificate for every staff member.
10. If any student reports a sexual assault, the school must inform the nearest police station at once.
Additionally, every school must hold safety training for children. These sessions will teach children about “good touch” and “bad touch”. These lessons are for students in pre-primary and primary classes.
Schools must also start self-defence training programmes. Each school must place a complaint box for students. This box must be opened twice a week. A school committee must be present when it is opened. The committee must include parents.
Schools must check if there are any shops selling cigarettes or paan near the campus. If found, they must call the police. There should be no such shops within 100 metres of the school.
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