CBSE asks schools to put all their staff through behaviour test after Gurugram student’s murder
The board warned institutes of disaffiliation if they violated the guidelines prescribed by the Human Resources Development Ministry.
The Central Board of Secondary Education on Wednesday asked schools affiliated to it to carry out complete psychometric evaluations of all employees, including teaching and non-teaching staff, sweepers, bus drivers and conductors. The move comes in the backdrop of the murder of a seven-year-old student in Gurugram’s Ryan International School allegedly by a bus conductor.
The CBSE said the onus of keeping students safe on campus lies solely with school authorities. “It is the fundamental right of a child to engage and study in an environment where he or she feels safe and is free from any form of physical or emotional abuse or harassment,” the board said in a circular.
The board also asked schools to have the police review on-campus security and submit a report. It stressed that institutes must ensure that CCTV cameras are set up at all points on campus and that they are always kept on.
In its circular, the CBSE also asked schools to train staff to help protect students from any form of abuse. “It is reiterated that all schools affiliated with the CBSE are hereby directed to strictly adhere to all the guidelines issued by Ministry of Human Resources Development and the board from time to time,” it said, adding that violating the directives will invite disaffiliation.
Police find CCTV footage of Gurugram school murder
Meanwhile, the Gurugram Police found the CCTV clip of the school premises, which shows the sequence of events from September 8 when the Class 2 student was murdered. He was found in a toilet with his throat slit.
In the footage, the bus conductor, Ashok Kumar, and the child are seen entering the washroom one after the other. A few minutes after Kumar is seen leaving, a bleeding Thakur is seen crawling out, according to NDTV.
Kumar was arrested the same evening for allegedly trying to sexually assault the boy before attacking him. However, the autopsy report said that the student was not sexually assaulted.
The report said that two knife marks were found on the boy’s neck, and that the nerve that helps in speaking was cut during the attack.