State School Education Minister Dadaji Bhuse on Thursday highlighted that the government is installing CCTV cameras and providing other necessary safety infrastructure to strengthen the safety and security in schools across the state, news agency IANS reported.
While filing a written reply to a question raised by NCP legislator Sulabha Khodke during the Maharashtra Winter Assembly Session, Bhuse said, “Following the directions from the High Court, a Government Resolution (GR) was issued on May 13 mandating the installation of CCTV cameras for the security of students in all schools.”
The decision to install CCTV cameras will cover schools of all mediums and management types, IANS reported. The GR also directs the implementation of comprehensive safety guidelines.
Furthermore, the government also confirmed that a major factor contributing to inadequate school safety is the lack of school safety committees, complaint boxes, and first-aid facilities in many institutions.
Bhuse also highlighted that a total of 60,049 government schools run by local self-governing bodies and 29,049 private schools in the state have installed CCTV cameras, IANS reported.
Moreover, 45,677 teachers and non-teaching staff in the state have registered in the Teachers-Staff Database.
“Nearly 4,888 schools have registered under the School Portal. About 103,665 School Safety Committees and 103,703 Parent-Teacher Associations have been formed. In addition, 103,703 schools have confirmed awareness and compliance regarding the POCSO Act and child protection guidelines,” the minister added.
The state has also allocated Rs 18 crore for the purchase and installation of CCTV cameras in 16 Tribal Development Department (TDD) ashram schools, with the average cost of installation estimated between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh per school.
In Amravati District, the work for installing CCTVs in 27 government schools was completed at a cost of Rs 2 crore through the `Super Computer` company.
Moreover, the Palghar District has submitted a request for Rs 44 lakh from the zilla parishad to the district collector for CCTV installation.
While the administrative approval for Rs 14 crore (80 per cent of the total cost) was received in the 2018-19 financial year, the tender process is currently underway.
Separately, 63 schools in the Amravati District are also in the process of installing CCTVs.
Minister Bhuse also emphasised, “Measures related to student security and safety are being implemented in all schools across the state as per the May 13 GR, and continuous action is underway.”
The opposition made a strong pitch for increasing the speed of the installation of CCTV cameras. Citing implementation delays, the opposition said that there is a lack of dedicated funding across a majority of the state`s schools in the process.
(With inputs from IANS)
