As part of efforts to ensure a safe environment to students after school reopening, CCTV cameras will be installed at all schools and medical stores in the district. The decision was taken at a district-level review meeting convened by National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights to implement a joint action plan for curbing substance abuse and child trafficking.
The meeting chaired by District Development Commissioner Asif K. Yusuf directed medical stores to set up cameras covering both interior and exterior angles. The District Drugs Control Authority and the police will conduct joint inspections to issue verification certificates. The footage will be checked at regular intervals to detect any suspicious activity.
Shops under scanner
A list of commercial establishments operating near schools will be prepared and they will be put under special surveillance. The cooperation of parent-teacher associations (PTAs) will be sought for the installation of CCTV cameras on and around school premises. Apart from keeping the schools and their surroundings clean, anti-drug posters to spread awareness will be displayed. Health Department, Social Justice Department, police, and excise will be in charge of organising awareness campaigns and spreading information through social networking platforms.
Meanwhile, the Kollam district panchayat has decided to conduct awareness programmes for teachers and parents in coordination with the Health Department. Schools that used to function as COVID-19 first-line treatment centres, monitoring centres, vaccination centres and Supplyco packing centres will be disinfected and handed over by October 15. Representatives of teachers’ and non-teachers’ associations, voluntary organisations, Health Department, police, Water Authority, KSEB, and Fire and Rescue Services will participate in local self-government-level meetings to coordinate the activities.
More benches, desks
The service of doctors and other health workers will be made available in schools and funds have been sanctioned for cleaning 69 schools under the district panchayat. The local body has also set aside ₹25 lakh for providing notebooks to all Class 10 students on the opening day. Instructions have been given to issue fitness certificates for school buses at the earliest and a meeting will be convened to address the travel woes of students. The students will be provided masks and sanitisers. Benches and desks will be purchased to maintain physical distancing norms. Schools will be divided into clusters and teams, including medical officers, nurses and volunteers, will monitor each cluster.
