Top News

New Delhi: Remove school employee involved in offences against children, report suspected sexual offences without waiting for internal inquiries and form child protection committees.

These are among a slew of directives issued to schools by the Delhi government, ordering them to conduct a review of existing child protection mechanisms and submit compliance reports, student safety checklists and self-certification documents to district authorities within 15 days of the circular's issuance.

"Any employee with a criminal record related to these offences must be suspended from active duty immediately, pending legal proceedings," the DoE circular issued on Friday said, mandating background verification of teaching and non-teaching staff, contractual workers and other personnel associated with students.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) has ordered that employees must submit affidavits declaring that they have no history of offences against children or violent crimes.

The DoE also mandated compulsory reporting of suspected sexual offences without waiting for internal inquiries, warning that failure to do so may attract legal action, including imprisonment of up to one year for school heads.

Further, schools have also been asked to conduct awareness programmes on child safety, including body autonomy, safe touch, online risks, and reporting mechanisms. Additionally, schools must educate students on cyberbullying, grooming and sextortion.

The circular also mentioned that teachers and staff will undergo training on the POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act, mandatory reporting obligations and trauma-informed response. Parents will also be sensitised on child protection laws and warning signs of abuse.

According to the education department, the child protection committee will be headed by the principal or head of school, with members including a nodal teacher, parent representatives, counsellors or senior teachers, a child rights expert and a student representative.

The committee will meet every quarter to monitor child protection measures, review complaints relating to bullying, harassment, cyber abuse, and ensure proper reporting and record-keeping, it said.

In the circular, there is a direction on CCTV surveillance as well, and schools have been told to preserve the footage for at least 30 days after any incident and share it with investigating agencies when required.

The CCTV surveillance is part of the campus safety measures which schools have to undertake, besides building well-lit corridors, separate student toilets and visitor management systems.

All these measured form part of a drive to strengthen implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act on school premises.

Schools must display child helpline numbers prominently and adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual abuse, bullying, ragging and harassment. They have also been asked to conduct periodic safety audits and install confidential complaint boxes placed away from staff and CCTV coverage.

For transport safety, schools must ensure buses are painted yellow, equipped with GPS devices and two fire extinguishers, and display driver and emergency contact details. Drivers must hold valid commercial licences with at least five years' experience and no criminal record. Female attendants are to be deployed in buses until the last child is dropped off.

The circular also lays down a code of conduct requiring staff to maintain professional boundaries, avoid isolated interactions with students and ensure respectful behaviour in both physical and digital spaces.

Schools have also been instructed to ensure the confidentiality of victims, preserve digital evidence in cyber-related cases and provide counselling and support to affected children.

Joint inspection teams comprising education officials and police will assess implementation from July. The Directorate said non-compliance will be dealt with strictly under the law.