We have increased CCTVs in all our schools, says Vibgyor chief

After the alleged incident of rape of a six-year-old girl in the Vibgyor High School in Bengaluru, chairman and managing director of the group Rustom Kerawalla said the management has taken precautionary measures in all its 21 schools in the country for the safety of students.

He said while most schools would say they have installed CCTV cameras or have beefed up security on their premises, Vibgyor schools have gone a step further. Besides increasing the number of CCTV cameras in school, a separate room to monitor these cameras has also been made, Kerawalla said, adding that they have also started doing police verification of all their employees.

"We have increased CCTV cameras not only in the Bengaluru schools but also in those in other cities. The teachers have no problem with it; also, parents can be shown what their children are doing in class, if requested. The separate room made in the Bengaluru school houses all the cameras. Not to mention the background checks we'll be doing on all employees, old and new," Kerawalla emphasised.

"We anyway have 95% women employees, but it's not that we won't recruit men. We will hire them only for those departments in which there are no women employees, such as sports or as school bus drivers. We have also started counselling for parents."

Separate rooms housing surveillance equipment will be started soon in other Vibgyor schools.

After the Peshawar attack, schools have been asked to have armed guards at their gates, as per directions of the police.

After the Bengaluru incident, Kerawalla had been booked for intentional omission to give information of offence by person bound to inform. When asked about the allegations against him, he refused to comment saying the case is sub judice.