This was announced at a press conference in Chandigarh.

Sharma also  said the murder case of a seven-year-old boy in the Ryan International School here had been handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the state government had appointed the deputy commissioner, Gurgaon as the administrator of the school for a period of three months, reports PTI. 

Thereafter, the situation would be reviewed and if any loopholes were found, the term of the deputy commissioner as administrator could further be extended, Sharma said.

What are these amendments ? 

Safety committees at the school, sub- divisional and district levels would be formed, which would be headed by the heads of the schools, the sub-divisional magistrate and the deputy commissioner respectively.

As per the regulations, students would be provided safe transportation to school with the mandatory presence of a female escort.

“Trained and trusted” staff will be employed as school bus drivers, conductors, escorts and managers, safe pick-up and drop arrangements for the students, smart monitoring through CCTV and GPS, handing over the children only to authorised persons and fire safety, first aid, speed governors and proper visibility inside the vehicles were some of the aspects the regulations dealt with, he added.

Khandelwal said the entry and exit record of all the visitors had to be be maintained without fail.

“Proper attendance record would have to be maintained, reporting of absentees, compulsory ID cards for the staff and students, special attention to a secured access to accident and abuse prone areas inside the school and extreme caution to prevent a child from drowning, electric shock, fire or injury are some of the measures the regulations prescribe,” he added.

There will also be a bar on labourers entering the school. No construction work will be carried out during the school hours and no adult, except female sweepers, should have access to the toilets used by the students, Khandelwal said.

School are also to have proper surveillance mechanism, including functional CCTV cameras.

Other safety measures included conducting mock drills for any type of hazards, proper sensitisation and training for the children, parents and staff, providing self-defense training, special attention to the children with special needs and no suppression, violation and humiliation, reports The Indian Express. 

If a school did not comply with the prescribed rules, strict action would be taken against it, the minister said, adding that the government could even take control of such erring institutions.

Image Source: AFP