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.
The circular further said that the schools need to be vigilant and report if they find any person seen loitering unnecessarily on the premises, or receive any anonymous phone calls or letters that disturb the functioning of the school.
Demand for a ‘School Safety Policy’
However, private school managements are not happy with the circular. Terming it ‘insufficient’, they are now demanding a dedicated school safety policy, which will include legal protection to not only school children, but their staff, management and property, on the lines of legal protection given to hospitals and doctors.
“The courts and advocates, hospitals and doctors have dedicated safety policies and legal protection. The same kind of legal protection needs to be extended to schools as well. We demand that the government come out with a School Safety Policy,” said Shashikumar. D, General Secretary of ‘Associated Managements of English Medium Schools in Karnataka (KAMS).
He recalled that there was an effort made to declare all school premises “zero-tolerance zones” when Tanveer Sait was the concerned Minister, but the proposal was put on the backburner after his tenure. He said many school grounds, especially government school premises had turned into a den of several illegal activities and these need to be checked.
