Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi general secretary and Villupuram MP D. Ravikumar on Tuesday urged School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi to put in place measures to prevent sexual harassment of children in schools. In a letter to the Minister, he also asked him to seek a report from schools on whether Pocso Act, 2012, is being implemented.
Mr. Ravikumar made these suggestions in the wake of the arrest of a teacher of a school in Chennai on charges of sexual harassment.
Based on the guidelines laid out in the ‘Handbook on Implementation of Pocso Act, 2012, for School Management and Staff’ prescribed by the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), Mr. Ravikumar said that a committee should be set up consisting of student representatives, a parent and the management to look into issues of harassment periodically.
“The guidelines state that every school should organise the parent-teachers meeting twice only to discuss this issue. A complaint box be placed prominently and a committee should also be formed in each class,” he said.
The guidelines stipulate appropriate behaviour for teachers taking classes to students via online. “It states five important things. The teachers should not email or call children outside. And all emails should be marked to the parents and they should not have any contact with the children on social media,” he said.
Mr. Ravikumar said had the school in Chennai followed NIPCCD guidelines, sexual harassment incidents could have been avoided.
