GREATER NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate has warned schools that random inspections will be carried out after August 5 to examine security arrangements for students on campus and if the institutions are found lacking, they would be declared “unsafe for children” on the government’s website.The DM held a meeting on Tuesday with principals of 56 schools in Greater Noida in the aftermath of the alleged rape of a nursery kid by a “pool lifeguard” of a prominent institution. The principals were directed to submit affidavits saying they would comply with safety guidelines laid down by the respective boards to which they are affiliated.The affidavits, the DM said, need to be signed either by the trustees of the schools, or owners or the board of directors on a Rs 100 stamp paper and submitted to the district inspector of schools in 15 days. The inspections to examine if the schools are actually following the guidelines on the ground will start thereafter.“Last year too, meetings were held with all schools in the aftermath of the death of a student in a Gurgaon school. They had been told to work on different aspects of children’s safety. However, it seems the management and principals of several schools in the district have been showing laxity,” BN Singh, the DM, said.The DM said that in case a school is owned by a company, the affidavit has to be signed by the board of directors; in case of a trust, it should have signatures of all the trustees, and if there is one or more owner, all have to put their signatures on the document.Officials explained that safety guidelines laid down by boards included installations of CCTV cameras at strategic places on the campus, and police verification and psychometric evaluation of all staffers.“The government has given clear instructions on this. Unfortunately, you have not been able to convince the society that the fee being charged by you is being reflected in the service you are providing and the environment you need to create. The administration has to ensure security of children is not compromised,” Singh said.Some schools, however, described the directive as an “eyewash”. “The administration wakes up only when a case like this happens in a school. Last year too, such meetings had been held in aftermath of the death of a student in a Haryana school. The administration should conduct regular checks so that such incidents do not occur in the first place,” said one of the principals.Mary Thomas, the principal of Somerville School, said she would have to speak to the management about the need for an affidavit. Several other principals echoed her.Some parents said they, too, should have been called for the meeting. “We have been fighting against schools for not abiding by CBSE guidelines for over a year,” said Anuj Srivastava, a parent.

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