New Delhi: Any employee found to have a criminal record involving offences against children, sexual crimes or violent offences must be taken off duty immediately, pending further proceedings in accordance with the law, the directorate of education (DoE) has said in a directive.The missive is part of a fresh set of child protection measures the directorate has issued.Effort has been made to strengthen implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in schools. Authorities have warned that non-compliance will be dealt with strictly under the law, while joint inspection teams of the education department and police are expected to begin reviewing implementation from July onwards.To strengthen screening, schools have been asked to carry out background verification of all personnel who interact with students, including teaching and non-teaching staff, contractual workers and other support employees. Staff members will also be asked to submit affidavits declaring that they have no history of offences against children or violent crimes.The guidelines place emphasis on mandatory reporting of suspected abuse. Schools have been told to report suspected sexual offences to the appropriate authorities without waiting for internal fact-finding exercises. The department has cautioned that failure to report such cases could attract legal consequences, including imprisonment of up to one year for heads of schools.As part of the new framework, every school must have a child protection committee, led by the principal or head of school. The committee will include a nodal teacher, parent representatives, counsellors or senior teachers, a child rights expert and a student representative. Meetings have to be held every quarter, and the panel will review child protection measures, monitor complaints related to bullying, harassment and cyber abuse and ensure proper reporting and record keeping.The DoE has also directed schools to expand awareness programmes for students, staff and parents. “Students are to be sensitised on body autonomy, safe and unsafe touch, online risks and reporting mechanisms, including issues such as cyberbullying, grooming and sextortion. Teachers and school staff will receive training on the POCSO Act, Juvenile Justice Act, mandatory reporting obligations and trauma-informed responses, while parents will be educated about child protection laws and warning signs of abuse,” said an official.Several infrastructure and campus safety measures have also been mandated. Schools must preserve CCTV footage for at least 30 days after any incident and share recordings with investigating agencies when required. Institutions have been asked to ensure well-lit corridors, separate student toilets, visitor management systems and prominent display of child helpline numbers. The official added: “They must also adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual abuse, bullying, ragging and harassment, conduct periodic safety audits and install confidential complaint boxes away from staff supervision and CCTV coverage“.The guidelines extend to school transport as well. Buses must be painted yellow, fitted with GPS devices and equipped with two fire extinguishers. Driver and emergency contact details must be displayed prominently. Drivers should hold valid commercial licences, have a minimum of five years’ experience and no criminal record, while female attendants must remain on board until the last child is dropped off.The guidelines also lay down a code of conduct for school personnel, requiring professional boundaries with students, respectful behaviour in physical and digital spaces, protection of victims’ confidentiality, preservation of digital evidence in cyber-related cases and counselling support for affected children.
