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PANJIM: Even as the state education department sent out a circular to all schools asking them to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance cameras at all entry/exit points and strategic areas within the educational institutions, it still hasn’t decided on how to fund them.
The department has asked some schools to mobilise their own resources for funding the cameras.
The circular warns schools that “failure of compliance of the above direction by any educational institution, the institution will be held liable for any incident which takes place.”
Speaking to Herald, deputy director of education, Anil Powar said that the plans were still in the early stages and they haven’t decided on the finance aspect. “We have not worked out any scheme yet. As far as possible we are asking them to find sponsorship from the management,” Powar told Herald.
The education department has forwarded a letter, addressed to it by the Goa State Women’s Commission, to all schools in the form of a circular, which among other recommendations asks schools “to install CCTVs at all entry/exit points and strategic areas, to install collapsible gates all entry and exit points and keep them locked during working hours.
Several schools have written back to the education department seeking clarifications on the issue of installing CCTV cameras to which the directorate is yet to respond.
The department itself hasn’t decided on installing CCTV cameras in government schools.
“We have not planned anything in Government schools yet. It is in initial stage,” Powar said.
The Commission had also asked schools to man their gates with security personnel, maintain a visitor’s register, photo identity cards for all staff, constitution of sexual harassment committees as well as banning male teachers from coaching or teaching girl students alone in classrooms.
It desires that schools should display telephone numbers of the principal, the nearest police station, PTA chairman and names and phone numbers of the sexual harassment committee members at a prominent place.
