NGO plea in HC to urge govt for safety measures in schools

After the Ryan International school incident, a city- based NGO has decided to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court urging the government to have strong policy measures to ensure safety of children in schools. Alarmed by the cases of child abuse due to negligence of school managements across the country, the NGO — Forum for Fairness in Education (FFE) — plans to collate data on such cases on the basis of which it plans to move the court.

“Despite charging huge amounts in fees, several schools fail to comply with some of the basic safety norms, as a result of which children are exposed to all sorts of dangers in schools. The recent incident should be an eye opener for the government to bring in a comprehensive policy for the safety of children in schools,” said Jayant Jain, President, FFE.

The NGO would give a set of rules which schools need to follow to ensure students’ safety. “While many schools have the physical mechanisms in place, there is a lack of proper monitoring. Merely putting cameras or security personnel does not make a school safe,” said Jain.