The Supreme Court today directed states and union territories to implement the ‘Centre’s guidelines on safety and security of children in schools’. The Apex Court also asked the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to coordinate with states and union territories (UTs) and monitor the implementation of the guidelines. A bench of justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh noted the Centre has notified the guidelines on the safety and security of children in schools and directed the union government to send the copies to chief secretaries or equivalent officers.

In the wake of recent sexual assault incidents of children in some schools, including Badlapur in Maharashtra, an application was filed by an NGO, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, seeking implementation of the Centre’s guidelines on safety and security of children in educational institutes across the country. Advocates appearing for the NGO informed the bench that only five states have implemented the Centre’s guidelines.

The Centre had issued the ‘Guidelines on School Safety and Security’ in October 2021, prepared by an expert committee following a Supreme Court’s order. The Centre issued the guidelines fixing accountability of schools in case of safety of children, and the non-compliance may attract fines and even take away the recognition of the schools. The guidelines shared by the Department of School Education and Literacy of the Ministry of Education with the states and UTs on 1st October also stated that parents play an important role in monitoring whether the school is fulfilling its responsibility.