Delhi schools directed to form committees for surprise checking of students' bags

NEW DELHI : Schools in the national capital have been directed to constitute committees for surprise bag checking to ensure no student brings any object that may be used to harm other children, according to a circular by the Delhi government's Directorate of Education. Schools have been directed to ensure that guards at the gates regularly check students' bags and ensure that CCTVs are functional all the time.

According to the Directorate of Education (DoE), some incidents have come to their notice where students got into quarrels and fights in and outside the premises during school hours. All the heads of government-run and private schools in Delhi have been directed to make all possible efforts to ensure the safety and security of students in school premises, the DoE circular said. "In order to make schools a safe and secure place for all concerned, it is imperative for all schools to implement a streamlined framework for ensuring good safety practices for students, parents and staff," it said.

"Therefore, all heads of government and private schools are hereby directed to constitute a committee for random/surprise checking of school bags of students in classrooms and ensure that no student is in possession of any material that may be used to harm fellow students." The heads of schools have also been asked to direct all guards at entry gates to regularly check bags for any unwanted or inappropriate articles so that no untoward incident happens in schools. "Heads of schools should also ensure that CCTVs are installed in the school and are functional all the time. Visitors should not be allowed to enter the classrooms and staff rooms," the DoE said.

Delhi Parents' Association president Aparajita Gautam welcomed the move by DoE but questioned how long will the norms be followed on the ground. "It is very a good initiative and I welcome it because it is for students' safety. How will the government schools, that do not have sufficient manpower, implement this?" she posed. Gautam further stated that the Delhi government should bring better measures to ensure students' safety, especially in government schools. Last week, a class 11 student was stabbed to death by three teenagers for allegedly harassing one of them in south Delhi’s Neb Sarai area. The three juveniles, including a class 10 student, have been apprehended. Two knives used in the crime have also been recovered, police said.