Badlapur sexual assault: Sex education, sensitising staff key, say educators

Mumbai: The alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls at a Badlapur school earlier this month prompted the Maharashtra government to issue guidelines for the security and safety of children in schools across the state last week.
However, despite the existence of rules on student safety even prior to the Badlapur incident, schools have failed to implement them, with several reported incidents of child molestation occurring on school premises in the recent past.
This has led to concerns among parents and educationists, who pointed out that imparting sex education, and sensitising teaching and non-teaching staff about student safety in schools is the need of the hour.
“At the core of the recent issue,” said the principal of a Colaba-based private aided school, “is the government policy that permits schools to fill various positions through third-party associations. This policy was introduced after the government ceased appointing grade IV employees in schools, even though these employees play a crucial role in the daily operations.”
Grade IV or Class IV employees refer to the lowest-level government staff, including attendants, cleaning staff, and security guards. In the absence of any non-educational grants, schools have resorted to hiring such individuals at low costs, the principal, who requested anonymity, added.
Sudhir Ghagas, president of the Shikshan Kranti Sanghatana, a teachers union, has demanded that government resolutions (GRs) of 2017 and 2020, which had put on hold the appointment of class IV employees in schools, be withdrawn. “We demand that the state start appointing class IV employees to safeguard educational institutions.”
Maharashtra school education minister Deepak Kesarkar said the government is evaluating whether appointing class IV employees through third-party contractors is a problem. “We will come out with a solution very soon,” he said.
In 2004, after a fire in a school at Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu, killed 94 children, the central government introduced guidelines for safety and security in schools, but they predominantly covered infrastructure. After the implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in 2012, the Maharashtra government started issuing separate guidelines for schools, especially regarding child abuse.
In 2017, as recommended by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the state government issued a government resolution on the formation of Sakhi Savitri committees in schools. As per the GR, the committees will comprise health workers, anganwadi workers, teachers, school management committees, counsellors, children and other stakeholders.
The committees are responsible for creating a safe and child-friendly environment for students in schools. They’re supposed to raise awareness about the “e-box” facility created by NCPCR for teachers and students to report complaints, POCSO, the app-based child helpline ‘Chirag’ and the child helpline number 1098.
Vasant Kalpande, former director of school education in the state government, said that committees at various levels have not been established in many areas as required. While some government and aided schools have merely gone through the motions on paper, the management and principals of numerous institutes haven’t bothered forming these committees, which means there is no possibility of effective measures being taken, he added.
“It is noteworthy that the school education department also displayed a lack of interest in rigorously enforcing the decision to establish these committees,” said Kalpande. “Now, after an unfortunate incident, both the government and administration have finally awakened. However, there remains a question mark over how thoroughly these measures will be implemented.”
During an interaction with the media, school education minister Kesarkar revealed that 82,000 of the 100,000-plus government schools in the state have established Sakhi Savitri committees. However, the government remains unaware of the status of these committees in private schools.
In response to the Badlapur incident, the non-profit Early Childhood Association (ECA) reissued guidelines for its affiliated pre-primary and primary schools to serve as a quick reference. “We are extremely vigilant when it comes to student safety,” said Swati Popat Vats, ECA president. “Following this incident, ECA has reissued guidelines for preschools, with a renewed emphasis on staff education. We have instructed all schools to ensure that their staff undergo training in Good Touch Bad Touch (GTBT ) and have a thorough understanding of the POCSO Act.” The ECA also offers courses on GTBT and the POCSO Act, both online and offline.
Girish Samant, chairman of The Shikshan Mandal, a school in Goregaon, expressed concerns about the need for greater staff sensitisation, both among teaching and non-teaching staff in schools. “We require a two-phase programme to bring about effective changes in both social and educational systems. To achieve social change, we must introduce comprehensive sex education into school curricula,” said Samant.
He also emphasised the critical role of counsellors, saying, “Government-trained teacher counsellors will be essential in schools. In our institution, we have appointed a full-time counsellor who maintains regular contact with both students and parents to address their concerns. Counsellors working closely with both teaching and non-teaching staff will greatly benefit the overall ecosystem of schools.”
Commenting on the recent GR regarding safety guidelines in schools, the principal of an aided school in Bandra said, “Not every school management can afford to appoint a full-time counsellor, despite the guidelines. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure counsellors are provided in schools.” At present, there are only 326 trained teacher counsellors across the state. “No efforts have been made over the years to increase the number of these counsellors,” they added.
Jaywant Kulkarni, a trained counsellor working at an aided school, said counsellors are tasked with 12 key responsibilities upon completing their training, including managing conflicts between students and teachers, addressing disputes between principals and parents, providing necessary guidance for the physical and mental well-being of girls, preventing school dropouts, and offering career counselling.
“However, despite the pressing need for counsellors at the tehsil level, some still lack a counsellor,” said Kulkarni.