After the hoax bomb threats to several schools disrupted life in the city, putting children, parents and school managements through a lot of worry and panic recently, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) has issued a circular to all schools to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of children.
Nearly 70 schools in and around Bengaluru had received hoax bomb threat emails on December 1. The case followed a similar episode in 2021, when over 20 schools had received similar hoax bomb threat emails. Both cases remain unsolved to this day. Facing fire from the Opposition, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister for the Department of School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa had promised to come out with a policy for the safety of schoolchildren.
The circular issued by DSEL reiterates that school premises and playgrounds attached to them have to be used only for educational purposes like extra curricular activities, sports, physical education and other events of the schools, and should not be rented out for other events. The circular even expresses dissatisfaction that despite several circulars before, many private school managements were not following the same.
