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April-June, 2009 1

Quartery Buetin o the Centra Board o Secondary Education

Vo. 48, No. 2, Apri-June 2009

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Vineet Joshi, IAS

Chairman and Secretary

M.C. Sharma

Controller o Examinations

Chitraekha Gurumurthy

Director (Academic)

Pitam Singh

HOD (Spl. Exams. and AIEEE)

Shashi Bhushan

HOD (Edusat)

EDITORIAl BOARD

Dr. Sadhana Parashar

Education Ocer

A Hia Ahmed

Assistant EducationOcer

The views expressed by any author in his/her article/contribution published in Cenbosec donot represent the views o the Board.

Published by the Secretary, Central Board o Secondary Education, Shiksha Kendra 2, Community

Centre, Preet Vihar, Delhi - 110 092 and Printed at Chandu Press, D-97, Shakarpur, Delhi - 110 092,

Ph. : 22424396, 22526936.


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2 April-June, 2009

CONTENTS

From the Chairman 3

Feedback Forum 8

Artices

Sae Schools, Sae India - Dr. Sadhana Parashar 9

Tackling Common Medical Emergencies in Schools Dr. Jitendra Nagpal 16

Saety Perspectives In SchoolsMrs. Jyoti Gupta* 19

Saety and Health at Schools A General

Perspective Mahalakshmi V 22

Tackling Cyber Bullying in School Ms. Jyoti Chaudhary 24Saety in Schools Rajiv Sharma 27

Students Saety in Navodaya Vidyalayas K.L.Nagaraju 30

What other Principas say on "Sae Schoos" 32

What other Teachers say on "Sae Schoos" 33

Schoos Share Best Practices ..... 35

Media Cippings 37

Checkist or Dierent Dimensions o Saety 39

Events Update 45

News rom Schoos 48

Sahodaya Activities 57

Green Page 62

Academic Update 64

Sports Arena 66fo| ky; hl qj{kkdsi fj i zs{; esafo| ky; ksaesanaMi zko/kku&vy fgyky vgen 68

i qLrd l eh{kk 70

Excerpts rom Schoo Heath Manuas Pubished by the CBSE 71

CBSE Circuars 80


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April-June, 2009 3

Prevention is better than cureis an adage that is ot repeated but seldom practiced.

Increasingly the need or sae schools is becoming sel evident. My vision o schools is o

sae places where every child can belong and develop an identity as well as sel- esteem

regardless o dierences based on gender, class, religion, language or culture. It is a place

where teachers can teach without any bias arising out o gender, class, religion, language

or culture.

There are various dimensions o saety which include physical, emotional and social

aspects. In the physical domain saety concerns can range rom verbal duels to brawls to

ragging and bullying, sometimes resulting in violence. There can be injuries on playgrounds

or disasters which may be natural or manmade. The emotional aspect o saety concerns

could arise out o harassment, bullying, peer pressure or abuse.

My nine year old son once reused to go to school because a senior boy at school

was threatening him on the sport eld and bullying both him and his riends to etch and

carry a ball. I am sure that this is a common scenario and a part o the growing up process,

but under no circumstances should anxiety o a child, however insignicant, be brushed

aside. Parents, teachers and counsellors need to work in close proximity and collaboratively

to ensure that every child eels sae and secure within the ambit o a school. Emotional

balance can be maintained only i the world o a child is ull o joy and happiness and is

allowed to be creative in all dimensions.

There are children who are dierently abled but are studying in the mainstream

along with other children. It is imperative that we be concerned and responsive towards

the saety o all these children. We need to ensure that we ollow a saety plan in schools

which includes the physical, inrastructural and emotional aspects through presence o

counsellors in every school, medical concerns through presence o doctors and nurses

From the Chairman


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4 April-June, 2009

as well as a tie up with a near by hospital and also saety in the community through

awareness programmes or peace and harmony.

The CBSE time and again through its various circulars has already advised schools to

ban corporal punishment and use condence building and positive strokes to improvethe perormance and behavior patterns o the children. Parental involvement at every

step remains a critical concern and they should be seen as partners in the teaching

learning cycle. The board has also brought out Comprehensive School Health Manuals

in our volumes which deal with six themes and one o them is Being Responsible and

Sae. These manuals have graded activities or various levels and must denitely be a

part o school curriculum. The board through its eight regional oces has orwarded one

set o the manuals completely ree o cost to all schools. The revised manuals are beingnow printed and will be soon available through the stores located at Shiksha Sadan, 17,

Institutional Area, Rouse Avenue, Delhi-110002.

The current issue o CENBOSEC deals with dierent dimensions o school saety

and the initiative in this regard has been taken by the North- West Delhi Chapter o

the Sahodaya School Complexes which invited me to a Principals conerence on the

theme Sae Schools Sae India. Out o this meet has emerged a checklist or dierent

dimensions o saety which all schools can use as a ready reckoner to map their schoolsand plan ahead.

I wish all the school a sae journey through the years they spend making young adults

out o little children who come to them.

Vineet Joshi

Chairman and Secretary

CBSE


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April-June, 2009 5

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April-June, 2009 7

Respected Sir/Madam,

I was really excited to see CENBOSEC issue

on Inclusive education. In 1998 I attended

a class by a team of experts led by Dr.

Philip John on Specific learning disability in

children. Then onwards I started my quest

for the identification and remediation of such

problems in children. I am so satisfied to

admit that our school has taken it as a venture

and succeeded in implementing many mental

health programs at school so that these

students never felt that they are disabled but

realize that they are differently abled.

Let me mention a few programs that we have

implemented to improve the self esteem of

these students and to help their parents show

a positive approach to their wards.

l Ranking students based on their academic

achievement is prohibited even in Lower

classes.

l Class prefects are appointed on the basis

of leadership qualities and equal chance

for all policy rather than academicexcellence.

l Teachers are specially trained for early

diagnosis of SLDs and report the same

to the Principal. Parents of those children

are given personal counsuling.

Feedback Forum

l Each student is helped to come up from

the level of understanding they are at. For

e.g. For a child who is 10 yrs old and is

not capable of reading Std II book, the

parent will be advised to join the teacher

in teaching the ward .

l These students are generally of average,

above average or sometimes with superior

I.Q s. They have problem either in reading

or in writing. Such students should not lack

getting information to their chronological

age level. This is possible through verbal

communication with facilitators and use

of multimedia. They should not be tested

by written exam, but oral tests could be

resorted to. When they reach a maturitylevel and show readiness for reading and

writing they themselves will attain the

ability, but they are never behind their age

group in information.

l With right co-operation from parents and

discipline from the part of the student,

we could reform SLDs to normal by the

age of 13. One of my students is in classIX and she scores above 85% in almost

all subjects. YES, a clear proof that we

can make constructive changes in children

through INCLUSIVE EDUCATION.

All the best to CBSE for showing this


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8 April-June, 2009

much interest in case of otherwise thrown

out students.

Thanking You,

Mrs. Anu George,

Principal,

Mar Dionysius Sr. Sec. School,

Rishi Valley, Chengaroor P.O.

Mallappally

Kerala 689594

Dear Vineet Ji,

l It was indeed very kind of you to have

honoured us with your presence on 30

March 09 A historic day when Faculty

Development and Research Centre of

Army Welfare Education Society was

inaugurated.

l The first workshop for primary teachers

of Army Schools also commenced the same

day. The fourth workshop is presentlyunder way. Faculty from Teachers Sity

under dynamic leadership of Mr. Om

Pathak had indeed taken pains to carve

out a tailor made curriculum for primary

teachers. The conduct of workshops is

based on case studies and is interactive in

nature. The feedback from participants is

encouraging. In my opinion, teachers are

benefiting a lot and go back to respectiveschools as better teachers. In times to

come, they will act as "change agents" in

their respective schools.

l Continuing with our discussions which we

had during inauguration ceremony, we

are in a position to make available FDRC

complex including Hostel (no profit no

loss basis) for conduct of workshops for

teachers under aegis of CBSE from 01-

19 June 09 and thereafter on as required

basis for which minimum three months

notice is requested to put administrative

arrangements in place.

l You may examine the possibility of use of

these facilities for the growth of teachers.

Ma Gen Manmohan Singh

Managing Director,

Army Welfare Education Society

Delhi Cantt-110010

Dear Mr. Joshi,

It was pleasure having you at the seminar

on Liberal Education in Arts, Sciences and

Humanities Status, Role and Future held

at India International Centre on Monday,

13th April, 2009. Thank you for coming and

making your valuable presentation. It was

well appreciated.

We are looking forwarding to seeing you

again.

With best wishes and kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Kavita A. Sharma

Director,

India International Centre


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April-June, 2009 9

Safe Schools, Safe IndiaDr. Sadhana Parashar*

Introduction

Saety is a multidimensional concept and sae schools need to come up with a Sae School

Plan. Schools should be secure and welcome places where students and teachers are able to

engage in the teaching learning process in an environment o security, ree o ear or intimidation

o any sort.

It is very important to understand that students alling in the age group o 10 to 14 years are

particularly prone to a large range o accidents, as they tend to get excited about everything and

in the process compromise with their saety. Saety involves being careul in order to prevent an

accident or risk that could cause harm or injury. Thus it is important or us to teach them to be

sae and avoid injury.

As saety is reedom rom danger or harm and prevention is an important element o

saety; everyone needs to know how to act saely in dangerous situations. Acting responsibly in

emergency situations can sometimes save a lie. For example, every school should have a plan

or escaping rom the school building in case o re or natural disaster. Saety should also be

considered whenever the student starts a new activity, or example, when learning to ride a bike,

experiment in the laboratories or learn to cook. The students need to be taught sae techniques.

For instance, ollowing some simple guidelines such as not leaving burning candles unattended

can prevent many res.

Vision o a Sae Schoo

Sae schools can build a vision o building themselves as sae places where every child

can belong and develop an identity and sel regardless o dierences based on gender, class,

religion, language or culture. It should also provide a similar secure working environment or

the sta, parents and the community in and around the schools.

*Education Ofcer, CBSE, Delhi.


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10 April-June, 2009

Dimensions o Schoo Saety in terms o:

Inrastructure Buiding Security

Building must necessarily qualiy the passing standard o municipal building norms. Legal

Address and Phone Number o the school should be clearly visible on at least two sides o the

building. Schools should ollow a proper foor plan and Room Numbering System. Schools

may mention System Shut-o locations (gas, electric, water, etc.). Entrance / Exit doors must be

controlled and guarded.

Chidren at Risk ?

Children spend almost one-ourth o their total waking hours either in school or on school

property. So its not surprising that an estimated 10 to 25 percent o unintentional injuries

sustained by children each year occur in and around schools. The most common sites o injury

are on playgrounds, in physical education classes and organized sports activities, and around

school buses.

Dimensions o Saety


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April-June, 2009 11

Payground Risks

Playground injury is the most common school-related injury among children age 5 to

14Yrs. According to a source, most o these injuries (seventy nine percent) involve alls. Falls also

account or ninety percent o the most severe playground equipment-related injuries (typicallyhead injuries and ractures) and twenty our percent o playground related atalities. The risk

o injury is our times greater i a child alls rom playground equipment that is more than 1.5

meters high (approximately ve eet).

Whatever the cause, kids are at greater risk o injury when unsupervised. Lack o supervision

is associated with orty percent o playground injuries. A recent study ound that children play

without adult supervision more oten on school playgrounds (thirty two percent o the time)

than on playgrounds in parks.

Sports-Reated Risks

Sports injury can be serious: almost 75 percent o all school-related spinal cord injuries occur

during sports. Among organized school sports, ootball has the highest injury rate, ollowed

by basketball, cricket, wrestling and gymnastics. Most organized sports-related injuries (sixty

percent) occur during practice rather than during games.

Although risk o injury is proportionally greater or students playing school sports, physical

education classes result in a greater total number o injuries. As part o the MHRD-CBSE -BC

Physical Education initiative,the Board will be releasing Physical Education Cardswhich clearly

spell out the saety measures to be taken while conducting PE activities.

Abuse (Physica / Emotiona / Socia)

There may be incidents o bullying or other orms o mental harassment by peers and teachers

which may result in loss o concentration in class. Student may develop truant behaviour may

eel compelled to change school or drop school. In some extreme cases the victim may all prey

to substance abuse or even develop deprissive tendencies.

Schools generally are not able to help the victims o abuse as they, due to conusion,

embarrassment, ear and hopelessness do not report the matter to school authorities.

Schoo Bus-Reated Risks

Many injuries occur when children are boarding or exiting the school bus because the

driver has a blind spotthat extends approximately 10 eet around the bus. Children, especially

younger children, may not be aware o this blind spot and may mistakenly believe that i they

can see the bus, the bus driver can also see them.


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12 April-June, 2009

Seven steps o a Schoo Saety Pan


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April-June, 2009 13

Prevention and Intervention

l Protection by the Parents

What did you do in school today?

Being aware and involved makes a big dierence in protecting children rom school-

related injuries. Since most o the parents cant be with their kids throughout the school day, it is

recommended that they advocate or saer practices and teach their children on how to protect

themselves.

Elimination o Potential Hazards:

Schools should regularly check playgrounds or rusted or broken equipments and uneven

suraces to help prevent injuries. The installations should be age-appropriate and ree rom

hazards. Parents whose wards are participating in any sport may talk to the coordinator or coachto make sure proper physical and psychological conditioning, appropriate saety equipment,

a sae playing environment, adequate adult supervision, enorcement o saety rules and an

emergency medical plan is in place. It is also very important or schools to ensure appropriate

grouping o team members playing a sport according to skill level, weight and physical maturity,

especially or contact sports.

Teach children Saety:

Teachers and possibly the parents should acquaint children with proper playground behavior.

They should be categorically told not to push, shove and crowd. They must be let known what

equipment is appropriate or their age level. Children may be instigated to arrive at the bus

stop early, stay out o the road and wait or the bus to come to a complete stop beore alighting.

Children may also be reminded to stay seated at all times and keep their heads and arms inside

the bus while riding.

l Possibe measures to ensure saety at schoo

Schools may assign duties related to school saety to specic teachers capable o delivering

at the beginning and end o school day. Teachers may announce security precautions toaddress grounds, encing, outside equipment, lighting, etc. Additional saety measures may

include posting o the sign post mentioning no trespassing, control o access to building

through day and night, control o access to roo or higher elevations, Visitor control system,

control o the movement o students during class, Sta identication system, Surveillance o

the blind spots etc.


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14 April-June, 2009

Poicies and Procedures:

Schools must lay down precise policy regarding behavior expectations rom students

and teachers. School should ormulate a humanitarian discipline policy and a saety core

group part o Health and Wellness clubs to monitor and oversee activities related withschool saety.

Programs:

In-service training or all sta to deal with the situations endangering school saety should

be imparted regularly. Intervention strategies may be planned or students at risk and positive

behaviour support or those who are involved in bullying.

Curricuum:

Saety related topics should not be taught per se rather their integration with coresubjects may yield better results. Pro-social skills, Confict-Resolution, Anger-Management,

Anti-Bullying / Harassment shall be dealt in the activities o Comprehensive School Health

Programme and Health Clubs. Case studies may be assigned under disaster management.

Saety rom re, earthquakes, tsunami and other calamities may be discussed in the science

class.

Parent and Community Invovement

Parents and community should proactively be involved in the programmes regarding

inormation dissemination about school saety. Community may come orward to sponsor school

saety related programmes and volunteer its support

Dris

Mock Drills to evacuate the school in case o emergency may be conducted at regular

intervals at class and also at entire school level.

Annua Review

Schools may evaluate their Saety Policy annually to appraise its easibility and eciency.

Compiing a Schoo Saety Manua

Separate manuals or students, teachers and sta may be developed to introduce them to

the themes o saety and prevention. For primary schools and secondary schools age appropriate

manuals should be developed.


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April-June, 2009 15

Heath as Saety Mode

Objectives

Knowing Includes cognitive objectives. They help us to create awareness and exact

inormation about the cause and eect o accidents arising out o negligence in saety norms.Inormation could be provided according to the age band o students

Knowing How to Do Includes attitudinal objectives or the precautions that should be taken

to avoid accidents. Evacuation drills and other practical examples may be carried out in schools

to help children acquire operative skills through positive experiences.

Knowing How to Act Includes behavioural objectives which exempliy how to act in the

wake o an emergency.

It is time to pause, refect and reconsider the need to provide young children a warm, sae

and secure environment through commitment and action. Unless we strive relentlessly wemay not be able to prevent a disaster just waiting to happen. Collaborative leadership through

empoweringAction Groups is the only way to move orward and stay sae.

In schools thousands o small children assemble or

many hours o the day or active interaction. It is important

that the schools should own the moral responsibility or sae

housing o the students during the period o their stay in the

school. It is said that accidents do not happen, but they are

caused. Advanced planning, eective implementation strategies,

development o right attitude or saety, coordination and

cooperation with agencies working in this area are important

or ensuring the saety in schools.

CBSE Circular No 28/2004, July 26, 2004, on Saety in

Schools

vvvvvv


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16 April-June, 2009

Educating children at school on health should be given the highest priority, not for theirhealth per se, but also from the perspective of education, since if they are to learn they need tobe in good health.

World Health Organization

v The WHO's progressive mandate o a Heath Promoting Schoo..

One that is constantly strengthening its capacity as a healthy setting or living, learningand working.

It ocuses on creating health and presenting important causes o disease and disability

by helping school children, sta, amily and community to care or themselves.

It equips school children to take inormed decisions over circumstances that aect their

health and create conditions that are conducive to health.

v Why do we need to tacke Medica Emergencies in schoos?

As part o the Comprehensive School Health Policy and programme, schools can enhance

the preparedness to deal with emergencies. Children are highly vulnerable to injuries/accidentswhile they are in school. Usually we nd minor grazes and bruises, but many times children may

ace severe accidents resulting in racture, bleeding, suocation, ainting, acid burns or drowning

and electric shock etc.

A health emergency may occur in any school at any time; children can become seriously

ill or injured in a number o settings, including the playground, laboratory etc. They are at risk

or aggression and violence related injuries too. Needess to say, chidren with specia needs

or specia heath care needs may require extra attention rom emergency heath care

provisions. Even sta members may suer a cardio respiratory, cerebral or any other disorder

which may lead to a medical emergency.v What are dierent kinds o Emergencies?

l lie threatening or potentiay disabing.These types o emergencies can cause death

or disability within minutes and thereore require immediate intervention, medical care

and usually hospitalization

Tackling Common Medical Emergencies inSchools

Dr. Jitendra Nagpal*

*Program Director Expressions India - The Lie Skills Education & School Wellness Program [email protected]


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April-June, 2009 17

l Serious, or potentiay ie threatening or disabing. Becausethesemay soon result

in a lie threatening situation or may produce permanent damage, they must be tackled

as soon as possible.

l Non ie threatening. These are identied as any injury or illness that may aect the

general health o a person, or example: ever, stomachache, headache, seizures, broken

bones, cutsetc. The individual should be evaluated as soon as possible and evacuation

or urther help duly organized.

v The Emerging roe o schoos in Emergency Preparedness?

The frst step in being prepared involves the development o written protocols to guide

school personnel or response to emergency preparedness. Written plans are an integral part

o a comprehensive school health programme. Then the goal o positioning School Emergency

Response Protocols (SERP) is:

l Prevention

l Risk Reduction

l Management

Secondy, the school sta needs to be appraised and trained or ecacy to such a response.

Globally, the school First Aid response in physical and psychological emergencies is highlighted

as an integral need in Comprehensive School Health Promotion. Consensus building rom

educationists, policy makers and health care providers has been perceived as an important stepin ormulating eective school based initiatives in this regard across the world.

Thirdy, operationalizing health and wellness clubs or advocacy, research and training

in important health care areas needs to be reinorced. School administrators, in consultation

with the school nurse and school physician may develop policies and guidelines or emergency

situations occurring on the campus and at any school related events. In general, these policies

should refect three things:

The schools role in preventing and reducing the risk o emergencies and injuries

involving their students and sta;

The schools preparedness in coping with an emergency, including sta training and

instruction and the availability o emergency related equipments

How the school will communicate the incident, both internally (i.e., record keeping) and

externally (i.e., to parents and other healthcare personnel)


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18 April-June, 2009

v Some exampe o Genera Heath Care

Emergencies in Schoo

l Prousely Bleeding Nose

l Fainting / Seizure episode

l An Injury in the Eyel Severe Stomachache

l Ear / Eye / Dental Complaints o a

Child

l Head Trauma

l Burn Injuries in Labs

l High Fever

l An insect / snake / dog bite

l Accidental oral poisoning

l Other wounds, injuries & bleedings.v High Risk Chidren or Medica

Emergencies

l A Child with Asthma

l A Juvenile Diabetic Child

l A Child with a history o Epilepsy

l An unknown allergic reaction

l A Thalsemic Child

l A Child with hole in the Heart.

l A Rheumatic Child

l Basic evaluation o a seriously ill

child.

l Unconscious Childv What roe does First Aid pay during

emergency situations in schoos?

First Aid as dened by St. John Ambulance Brigade, is the immediate treatment given to thevictim o an accident or sudden illness, beore medical help is obtained. The main areas o rstaid are:

a) to preserve lie

b) to promote recovery

c) to prevent the worsening o the condition

A complete emergency kit known as FIRST AID BOX should be kept in secure locationsdesignated or medication in each school, and these kits should be readily available to educate

sta volunteers and emergency care designees.

Basically, a First Aid Box should consist o band aid, sterile gauge in sizes, sterile eye pads,bandage in sizes, crepe bandage, triangular bandage, cotton, saety pins, tweezers, blunt scissors,tourniquet, small torch, tongue bite, tape and gloves sterile.

In terms o medications rst aid box should consists o: antiseptic solution (dettol /savlon /betadine), isopropyl alcohol, analgesic tablets / spray, antiallergics, tab/syrup, antipyretics, tab/syrupibugesic, inhaler asthalin, tab/drop colivon, antacid syrup, ORS solutions and glucose powder.

It is wise to suggest that every school system should appoint a School Health Committee toperorm an annual review and risk assessment o overall Health Care needs and Emergencies.

liaisoning with oca Heath care providers / Hospitas

Adequate and complete inormation rom the amily and parents regarding any underlyingailment in the child (chronic or subacute) should be conveyed to the relevant sta in the schoolat any point o time in the Health Card or other records.

Heathy Chidren Heathy India.

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April-June, 2009 19

I have the right to be mysel and to have the reedom to learn, work and play without

having my heart, my head or my body hurt.Christina Mattise, elementary counselor in her

developmental guidance program

Initiating their children into ormal schooling can be quite an emotional moment or

parents. The realization o the stellar role played by an educational institution in a pupils lie

imbues parents with the condence o entrusting the responsibility o educating their wards

to complete strangers. The school as looked upon by parents and society at large is not just anedice but a nurturing cocoon that moulds students who eventually emerge as enlightened and

successul individuals on completion o their schooling years.

Given the kind o aith and trust reposed in it, the onus rests entirely on the school to provide

an environment which is conducive to the development o the child; an environment that allows

all students to achieve their maximum potential-academically, personally and socially. The

primary task o a school is undoubtedly imparting o education to its pupils. However, academic

success is inextricably linked with the physical, mental and psychological health o the student. It

would be nave to expect learning outcomes in case the student perceives a threat to his saety

and wellbeing at school. An unpleasant/traumatic experience in school can scar a child or lie.

At this juncture it is imperative to realize and accept that schools have not always proved to

be sae havens. Though the danger to a childs physical saety may be most palpable, it is crucial

to realize the importance o emotional and psychological health o a child. Creating sae schools

involves more than just the physical saety o students. A nurturing emotional environment is

indispensable or ostering growth and development. The sense o belonging, sel esteem and

acceptance that accrues rom an appropriate emotional environment signicantly contributes

to success and achievement.

In the ace o the alarming rise in the spate o incidents that threaten school saety, it

becomes necessary to address the issue at the earliest. The overarching challenge is to provide

an environment devoid o any real or perceptible threat. My experience over the years as an

educator and administrator has provided me with an insight and understanding o the myriad

actors that may endanger saety and hamper development. Though saety concerns may be

school specic and may assume diverse orms, there are certain broad parameters which can be

Safety Perspectives in Schools

Mrs. Jyoti Gupta*

*Principal , K.R. Mangalam World School, Gk-II, Delhi.


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20 April-June, 2009

considered as relevant to all. I have endeavored to enumerate a ew measures that are vital to

countering threat and cultivating a sae environment:

= Identifcation o areas where security concerns exist

The oremost step is to identiy the areas/actors that pose a threat to students saety. Whileenlisting the same, care must be taken to include actors both within and outside the school

environment.

= Panning in Advance

Systematic and advance planning is crucial or successully countering/averting any

disaster. Preparedness is o vital importance. Strict adherence and continuous verication o

the laws prescribed by the government regarding saety should be the moral obligation o the

school. Any advisory on saety should be complied with. Any resources required or eective

management o a crisis situation should be in place. The school should be in constant touch

with agencies operating in the eld or mock drill training o teachers and students. Firemanagement, earthquake and ood management, structural and constructional saety,

trauma management, saety o the challengedshould be the oremost priority o an institute.

Areas like internet saety, peer pressure etc. should not be neglected. Counseling sessions and

staging ostreet plays can be eectively used to enlighten the students and assuage any ears

they might be harboring.

= Coordinated eort

A sincere and coordinated eort rom the side o all stakeholders involved is imperative or

promoting saety in schools.

Teachers - Emotional and psychological saety comes rom the trusting relationship nurtured

by a teacher. The experiencing o a trusting relationshipwith their teacher is psychologically

signicant or pupils and can help overcome any emotional issues or problems conronting the

pupils. The development o trust and respect are a undamental pedagogic responsibility o the

teacher, as they help to establish conditions o learningin the classroom.

Students- The pupils should be made partners in addressing saety issues. Preparedness

should be initiated rom the early years o school education as it is an age where children are

most adaptable. It is necessary to augment their awareness and understanding o threat rom

dierent quarters and the means to thwart them. Counseling sessions and street plays can be

eectively used to enlighten the students and assuage their ears. Workshops and mock drills

should be conducted.

Many schools have successully initiated students into trac duty. Similarly, their energy can

be channeled to address saety issues.

Parents - A coordinated eort between the parents and teachers is necessary to comprehend


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April-June, 2009 21

and address any problem aced by the child. Parents have every right to understand what is

happening to their children at school, and teachers have the responsibility to share that

inormation without prejudicial judgment.... Such communication, which can only be in a child's

interest, is not possible without mutual trust between parent and teacher.

Agencies/Organization- The school should be in constant touch with agencies working inthe eld so as to update their knowledge and get a better understanding o the issues. Exchange

o inormation with other schools can be o immense help. Community involvementshould be

solicited.

= Eective impementation-

Teams o teacher-student volunteers should be trained or crisis management in dierent

areas. They should be able to successully handle a perilous situation.

= Right attitude

Even the best o measures will all fat in the absence o desirable attitude. A realization o the

gravity o the issue coupled with the determination to contribute successully towards ostering

saety in schools on the part o all stakeholders is mandatory to attain the goal o saety.

Lets all contribute towards creating a sae environment or the students. An environment,

which propels and inspires children to give their best - unhindered by any lurking apprehensions

and ears. Saety should be the motto o every school.

The children themselves could also

evolve mechanisms or confict resolution

between teachers and students, and among

students. The teacher should ensure that there

are as ew rules as possible, and that only rules

that can be reasonably ollowed are created. It

does no one any good to humiliate children or

breaking rules, particularly when there are good

reasons or the rule being broken.

NCF 2005

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Safety and Health at Schools AGeneral Perspective

Mahalakshmi V*

* Principal, Capitol Public School, Bangalore.

Introduction

A school should prioritize providing a constructive learning environment that is sae and

ree rom violence. Saety in school should have a comphensive perspective.

Environmental hazards Pollution rom waste generation causes a big environmental hazard.

In those schools which do not pay adequate attention to good hygiene, there is always a possibility

in them to turn in a potential place or breeding and spreading vector borne diseases like Malaria,

Dengue, yellow ever, chickengunia etc. and water borne diseases like typhoid, dysentery and

cholera. It is oten said that a school is as clean as its toilets are, thereore proper disposal o solid

waste, proper drainage, availablity o sae drinking water is absolutely essential in a saer school.

Air quality in the school, especially in closed environments like air-conditioned labs and halls

pose greater health hazards, i not considered properly in design and maintenance.

Saety in Labs - Labs handle wide range o chemicals, electrical installations and mechanical

equipments that may be hazardous and toxic. Some chemicals are even carcinogenic in nature.

Chemicals enter into our body through dierent routes inhalation, ingestion, skin absorption

and eyes contact, thereore schools should provide sucient protection against chemicals. Proper

ventilation can reduce exposure to chemical through inhalation and proper personnel prevention

like wearing gloves, goggles and polymer suit will also help reduce exposure to chemicals.

Electrical saety Dangers posed by electricity are re hazards, circulating electrocution

and tripping. Kumbakonnam re accident was mainly due to electrical short circuit. Installing

electrical system which passes saety norms, is vitally important or school saety. Proper loading

o the cables and overload protection, circuit breakers etc can also be applied.

Fire Saety Prevention o re would include segregation, compartmentalisation and no

ignition closer to source o uel. Loss prevention includes re sprinklers and smooth easy path

o egress.

Playground Saety Playground may have rusted bars and other unsae sharp metal

objects that may cause injuries to students. Prevention includes having proper inspection o

playground.


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April-June, 2009 23

Violence in School Highly publicized incidents o school violence have heightened

awareness o the need to deal with this complex problem. It is dicult to nd the root cause

o these violence, but reports point to peer pressure, infuence o movies etc. Counselling and

imparting moral values in schools will overcome the mental attitudes o students. Parents can

teach their ward how to avoid becoming a victim. Children can be taught to be assertive without

being aggressive. Help the child to learn to speak up condently i he doesn't like somethinganother student is saying or doing to him. Bullies are less likely to pick on children who don't back

down easily. Many children are reluctant to tell on a bully or ear o retribution. But threatening

situations can escalate, and adult intervention is usually the only way to stop the problem. Keep

the lines o communication open so that the children will be more likely to conde in adults.

Give the child plenty o opportunities to discuss what's on his/her mind, especially i you sense

S/he is worried about something at school.

Ergonomics or students and teachers As students and teachers embrace new technology

and aids like computers, ergonomic problems are likely to be encountered. These are mainly due

to sitting posture, position o keyboard, position o mouse/trackball, position o wrist, height omonitor, eects o lighting, requency o breaks, distance o monitor rom eyes and standing

or long hours during teaching. Carpal tunneldisease and Raynolds syndrome are two major

diseases that come up rom poor postures and practices. There are many standards that provide

details o how to make ergonomically sound workstation. I good work practices are established

early, the likelihood o developing physical problems associated with computer use and teaching

posture like standing may be decreased.

Security and Discipine Sound security and good disciplinary system prevents many

injuries and incidences. It is very essential to keep vigil o in case o intruders.

Concusion:It takes the dedication o parents, schools, districts, and many other community partners to

help protect our schools and to keep our children sae .

Saety should be taught in the schools just like subjects like disaster management and

environmental protection. School can create policies or saety, which can include all or some o

the ollowing:

l Commitment to comply to government regulation and building code

l Saety is a condition o schooling thereby greater ownership by students, parents and

teachers. Parents can do their part by inculcating saety habits in home. Saety shouldbe a priority to students and school management should take accountability.

l Students can contact teachers at any time, should they eel unsae o studying in schools

or eel anything that might have an impact o the students saety or well being.

l School can implement supplemental screening or disease and violence detection, so

that the school can become violence-ree place o learning.


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Tackling "Cyber Bullying" in SchoolMs. Jyoti Chaudhary*

* Counsellor, Salwan Public School, Gurgaon.

Everyone wants school to be sae and secure place o learning. A sae and secure physical,

social and emotional environment which includes cultural values, procedures and policies, plays

a very important role in learning behaviour and health o students.

A very serious concern which caught my attention recently regarding saety in schools is

Bullying in SchoolsBullying is bullying whether its done online by the latest technology or

whether it is done in person. The media stories or cyber bulling are already quite amiliar-Hidden

behind the mask o technology; the bullies harness other with little ear o being discovered.

Thought the term cyber bullyingwas coined by the Canadian educator Bill Belsey, but the

problem is not limited to a particular country. Indeed, education unions in many countries are

reporting instances o bullying via e-mail, cell phones, text messages, chat rooms, blogs, and web

sites. But virtual bullying that takes place in cyberspace can have serious consequences in the

real world school absenteeism, poor grades, anxiety, anger and worse.

Why do Chidren Cyberbuy?

Bullying has been around orever but cyberbullying is dierent because it lets a bully remain

anonymous. It is easier to bully in cyberspace than bullying ace to ace. With cyberbullying abully can pick on children with much less risk o being caught.

Bullies are natural instigators and in cyberspace, bullies can instigate the participation o

other students who may be unwilling to bully in the real world. Kids who stand around doing

noting in real lie bullying, oten become active participants in online harassment.

How to Tacke Cyber Buying

So what should we do to deal with cyber bullying? How can we stop cyber bullying?

l First, Do Not Respond to the Cyber Bullys Attacks

l Give Our students a Voice to Speak out Against Cyber Bullying!

A system to encourages victims to speak out bullying incident Reporting and Management

gives your school and to up help them in coping unique, innovation and aodable way o dealing

with bullying.


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April-June, 2009 25

The system may include Straightorward and

conidential disclousre o bullying incidents, through

incident management, right up to pinpointing the

causes o the wider issue.

The rst step is to stop responding to the cyber bully.Do not reply to their e-mails, posts, text messages. This is

what the bully wants. They want to engage you as well.

They want to orce you into responding.

I you respond in any way that is emotional or lets

them know that they are getting to you and are able to

make you upset, it only encourages the cyber bully.

Remember, bullies oten suer rom low sel-

esteem and they want to eel better about themselves.Instead or doing something positive or succeeding at

something or making a new riend a bully has learned

to make themselves eel better by controlling, abusing

and tearing down others. This gives them a sense o

control and power they dont have in their lives. Most

bullies are actually quite weak and the same is true o

cyber bullies.

I you respond in a way that let the bully know that

you are angry, upset or araid they will only be happybecause they have managed to control your emotional

state. Even i you do eel like that, dont give the cyber

bully the satisaction and encouragement by letting

them know.

It is especially important not to respond emotionally

because this could make you send a reply that you might

regret later. Messages once sent are impossible to take

back.

Deveoping the Strategies Needed to StopCyberbuying

l Because teachers hold positions o trust, they

must model ethical cyberconduct and maintain

exemplary proessional standards in e-mail to

students, parents and colleagues.

Cyberbullying In Schools :

A Research of Gender

DifferencesQing Li, Faculty o Education, University o

Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada

This study investigatesthe nature and the extent of

adolescents experience of cyberbullying.A survey study of 264 students from three

junior high schools was conducted. In thisarticle, cyberbullying refers to bullyingvia electronic communication tools.The results show that close to half of the

students were bully victims and about onein four had been cyberbullied. over half of the students reported that they knew

someone being cyberbullied . Almost half

of the cyberbullies used electronic means toharass others more than three times. Themajority of the cyber-bully victims and bystanders did not report the incidentsto adults. When gender was considered,

significant difference were identified interms of bullying and cyberbullying.Males were more likely to be bullies and

cyberbullies than their female counterparts.in addition, female cyberbully victims weremore likely to inform adults than theirmale counterparts.

Source: School Psychology internationl,

Vol. 27, No. 2, 157-170 92006).


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26 April-June, 2009

l At work, teachers are advised not to share their password with others, nor to leave their

computers on and unattended around students.

l Never put anything that you wouldnt want viewed by a million people, including your

colleagues, students, in electronic orm.

l Make copies o the messages, including URLs and State that the conduct is unacceptable

and demand that the sender stop beyond that, do not engage with the person as this

could escalate the situation

l Contact the parents i the cyberbully is a student

l Mobile phones to be treated as potentially oensive weapons and pupils access to

them restricted during school sessions.

l Heightened awareness o the need to be cautious when using social networking sites

as the contents are being scanned by employers and hijacked by pupils.

"There is nothing more precious to

a parent than a child, and nothing more

important to our uture than the saety o

our children.

Bill Clinton

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April-June, 2009 27

Safety in SchoolsRajiv Sharma*

* Principal, Spring Dale Senior School, F. C. Road, Amritsar

Ideally every school should be a place where children experience the joy o learning and

teachers enjoy the reedom to help them learn. For the true potential o a child to lourish

and unstinted growth to take place, a sense o security is indispensable. Contrary to that

we oten hear about mishaps like school buildings collapsing burying the children alive,

ires enguling school pandals, road accidents involving school vans, children bearing the

trauma o brutal treatment inlicted by teachers. Apart rom these, there are numerous other

unreported cases o bullying and violence in schools that might have serious psychologicalconsequences.

Knee-jerk Reaction:

Unortunately attention to the aspect o saety in schools is neither paid by the

school managements nor by the governments. Dearth o resources in the education

sector both inrastructural and human might be the most plausible reason or inadequate

attention to saety in schools. Unsae school buildings, hazardous environment and

scarcity o trained personnel compel the school to compromise gravely over the saety

norms. People wake up only ater a tragedy strikes, eel concerned or sometime, raisequestions on the saety mechanisms in T V shows and again go back to their habitual

slumber jeopardizing millions o our children ace numerous risks threatening their

physical and emotional health.

Norms o Saety Ignored:

It will not be unduly harsh i we say that majority o the schools across India have nothing

like a policy or student saety. Mechanism o prevention and saety drills are almost non-

existent. Lack o awareness and sincere eorts added with the ever increasing pressure on

school education system are turning the situation rom bad to worse. The mandatory normso saety made by educational boards and education departments are oten ignored. Lack o

eective school inspectorate system makes it easier or school managements to ignore school

saety norms. This means, that we are sitting on a volcano waiting or a disaster to happen and

believing that it will not happen to us.


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28 April-June, 2009

Enormity o Situation:

With the Act o Right to Education in place the population o school going children is ever

increasing. Majority o children go to state run government schools which are barely able to

provide basic inrastructure. Unhygienic sanitation, non availability o sae drinking water uncleantoilets, especially or girls and poorly maintained buildings oten leave the children at the mercy

o the elements.

With the population explosion and awareness about education increasing there

has been a mushrooming o privately run schools. The situation here also is no better in

most o more schools. These schools ace constraints o space and other inrastructure.

Moreover the primary motive o these is to earn proit to as much extent as possible and

thereore the saety gets sidelined quite ater. The children are made to spend long hours

in congested rooms with poor quality o air and unhygienic conditions, adversely aectingtheir health. There is no protection rom common hazards like ire, earthquakes and other

natural disasters.

Transportation:

In the urban and semi-urban areas, children commute to schools in dilapidated buses and

auto rickshaws driven by untrained drivers risking the lives o children daily. We oten hear o

accidents involving these vehicles but there is very little happening to improve the situation.

Emotiona Saety:

Besides these inrastructural and resource shortcomings the other major risk to saety is

the social and emotional environment. A child living under the stress o a bully or other ears

cannot have a proper growth. Schools in India do not generally have a confict management

system or counseling mechanism. No help is available to deal with emotional complexities. Most

school administrators brush o the question o emotional saety in schools by assuming that

everything is ne in their schools.

Ignoring dierenty abed chidren:Children with special needs are oten the most disadvantaged lot as ar as saety in schools

is concerned. Lack o awareness about their physical and emotional needs add to their anxieties

urther retarding their growth. The policy o inclusive education suers rom lack o enough

research and diagnosis acilities and shortage o special educators. Schools are not sensitive to

their special needs and they remain at maximum risk in adverse conditions.


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April-June, 2009 29

New Chaenges:

Violence and aggression in children and youth is rising. Alarming cases o ragging in

proessional colleges are a refection and an outcome o such tendencies which are rarely tackled

at school level. Bullying, drugs and and pornography are threats to saety in schools. Terrorism

is a new addition to potential hazards o the modern times, suering rom ostrich syndrome we

dismiss the possibility o such an eventuality. But it is always better to be sae than sorry. Denial

and inconsistent messages exacerbate, not reduce, ear and panic. We have to gear up to ace

these challenges and have policies in place to deal with them.

What to do:

How to deal with them? Let us admit, we are not prepared to deal with these existing and

emerging threats. Denying and downplaying will not help. The only way to ensure saety and security

is to be better prepared. Fear is best managed by education, communication and preparation

certainly not by denial.

A comprehensive school saety policyin every school is the need o the hour. A committee

headed by the school principal having, aculty, students, parents and school counselor as its

members should be mandatory or every school to look into all aspects o saety and security.

A ew structural measures like rounding sharp edges and corners where children requent or

play, xing loose hanging electric wires, reinorcing window grills, reviewing location and design

o chemistry lab, re ghting system in order, marking van/auto loading and dropping zones, can

go a long way in minimizing risks. But to instill a sense o security and make saety a habit it is

essential to have regular saety drills in school, involving sta and students, marking trac and

exit routes inside campus and a comprehensive disaster management plan in place.

Health and hygiene program which we are ollowing in the school take care o health

check-ups or both students and sta. It ensures sae drinking water and clean toilets separately

or males and emales. Parents are involved in nutrition and psychological well-being programs.

Educational aspect is central to saety planning or long term sustainability. Consistent education

o all stake holders including the children, sta, bus operators and parents is an important part

o overall saety. Lie skills and value education in our school to strengthen value system among

children is a part o mainstream education in our school so that our children are better equippedto handle themselves and have compassion or others.

School denitely is a place where uture takes shape. Thereore the investment on saety

measures in schools today both in strengthening systems and values will determine the shape

o times to come: sae or unsae!

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Students Safety in Navodaya VidyalayasK.L.Nagaraju*

*Principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Ramchandraghat, West Tripura

Navodaya Vidyalayas occupy a special place in our educational system with their unique

eatures. These residential schools catering to the rural talented students are located in each

district o the country. Free education with emphasis on quality is the hallmark o these schools.

Based on the recommendations o the National Policy on Education (1986), a humble beginning

was made with just two schools. The organization has now ully grown into a huge network o

565 schools with nearly two lakh students.

When the issue o students saety in schools is considered, we can notice the great concernand attention it has drawn in Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. The experience o the organization in

this regard, drawn over thirty odd years can be o great benet to others. Needless to say that

the organization had to constantly monitor the students saety situation and evolve eective

strategies. The going was naturally tough, but the resilient pioneers carried the torch high amidst

diculties.

Saety o students in Navodaya Vidyalayas assumes a wider connotation compared to any

other systems. The residential nature o the schools places an enormous responsibility on the

sta o the Vidyalayas. The parents entrust their wards to the school personnel hoping or their

well being in all aspects: physical, social, emotional and intellectual. They believe that their wards

are in sae hands. The sta has to live up to this expectation. Several departments have to have

a coordinated eort under the leadership o the principal to ensure saety and security o the

students. Teachers role is limited not just to the class room but well beyond it. They are with the

children in the dormitories and playground too. At no point o time in a twenty our hour period,

any child is let unattended.

The roll calls, at least ve times a day every body is present and they are t or the work

at hand. There are no separate wardens appointed to look ater the welare o the students in

the dormitories as is the case in some residential schools. The teachers themselves unction as

House Masters. This has got many advantages. The teacher is generally aware o the child as an

individual in the school and knows the academic progress made by the child. This knowledge

helps the House Master to assist the child to spend his leisure time appropriately. The school and

dormitories are not isolated places but an extension o each other.


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April-June, 2009 31

The health o the students is always given a due priority. The House Masters constantly

interact with the students and keep a watch on the health o the students. The resident sta nurse

takes care o most o the common ailments and gives rst aid whenever necessary. The Medical

Inspection Room is well equipped to take care o all the needs. It is stacked with medicines

routinely required. In cases where the doctors attention is needed, the students are immediately

taken to the hospitals. The Vidyalayas have round the clock availability o transport and no time

is lost in bringing solace to the needy students. The health care provided is not just problem

based. It is a proactive exercise wherein prevention takes precedence over the cure. The school

surroundings, academic block, kitchen, dining hall and the dormitories are kept clean. The ood

item prepared is checked by the sta nurse and the catering in charge to ensure quality. Bushes

and weeds are requently cleared to eradicate mosquito menace and snake threat. The students

are inculcated with values o personal hygiene and cleanliness. Routine inspections are carried

out by the principal, house maters and the nurse to notice any action need to be taken.

Potential agents that could cause accidents are identied and eective measures are

undertaken to counter them. Damaged electrical sockets, exposed underground wires, wires

within easy reach are identied and immediate repair is undertaken. Water bodies such as tanks,

lakes, wells, rivers, ponds etc. are declared strictly out o bounds or the students. Strict supervision

is ensured to avoid any untoward incidents when students are near water bodies. Clean, running

water is provided to ensure saety. Bathing near water sources are not allowed.

Providing Physical saety is ar easier compared to the emotional saety. This is well taken care

o by sensitizing all the sta with the need or providing an emotional saetynet or the students.

All the sta members act as oster parents to cater or the emotional needs o the students.

Homesickness is a common phenomenon noticed. For the rst ew days orientation is undertaken

so that they get used to the new environment. The House Masters spend a large amount o quality

time with the children to ensure that the new place is a welcome one. Any signs o depression are

noticed and due care is given. Once the newly arrived students start enjoying the well planned

routine, they start eeling at home. In spite o the best care taken there are a ew stray cases who

need special attention. These cases are o deep depression including suicidal tendencies. Proper

counseling is extended to ensure that they try to resolve the perceived problem.

Whenever students have to undertake travels, special care is taken. Due to the policy o

migration o students rom one state to the other, movements o students in large numbers

and or long distances become inevitable. Students move rom one place to the other or

participation in sports meets, exhibitions and so on. Adequate number o escorts is provided.

Proper transportation is arranged and the itinerary is planned meticulously.

In addition to the above, several general saety measures are adopted. The entry o persons

at the gate is recorded and ensured that no unauthorized individuals gain entry. Parents are

allowed to visit their wards only once a month. Pure drinking water is provided so that water borne

diseases are kept away. The entire Vidyalaya machinery is geared up to meet the challenge.


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What other Principals say on "Safe Schools"

Sae schools are characterized by a positive school atmosphere; have high levels o

students, sta and parent participation; have students who are attached to their schools; and

have clear and high expectations or student perormance and behavior. Students have sel-

respect, mutual respect or each other and appreciate diversity. Sae schools have proactive,

inclusive leadership a principal and school board that respond eectively and promptly to

concerns and welcome input rom parents. All members are o the school community are

involved in planning, creating and sustaining a school culture o saety and respect. Each

student has a trusting relationship with at least one teacher at school, part o a general school

wide program o connectedness.

Dinesh Jindal,

S.D. Vidya Mandir, Huda, Panipat

School Saety is an integral part o education today, it creates conditions that promote

and maintain a positive, sae, and healthy school culture, climate, and environment. School

saety is everyones job- students, teachers, administrators, parents, and community members,

but having a properly trained saety educator acilitates the maintenance o sae schools.

Saety no longer pertains to physical malpractices prevalent in schools rather the ocus

is on the diverse problems that have become an everyday aair and need to be seriously

addressed. Psychological actors such as stress, anger, ear, discrimination and some o the

issues that trouble and digress education in school environment besides the risk actors or

good and sae physical acilities that call or immediate attention.

Saety related issues need to be into with proper strategies or the identication o

problem areas, assessment o the seriousness and nature o problems there ater preventionand management o issues that challenge the school saety. Sae School environment osters

positive individual perormance while moving ahead or the school as a whole unit.

Madhubaa Chaturvedi

K endriya Vidyalaya OLF,Dehradoon


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April-June, 2009 33

What other Teachers say on "Safe Schools"

Saety rom fre

Prevention is the key in eliminating conditions which may contribute the causes o any

re.

Repairallelectricalhazardsandavoidoverloadingoutlets.

Clearlymaketheevacuationrouteontheschooloorplan,andplaceitadjacenttothe

classroom door.

Establisharesafetyplan.

Incaseofreght with the proper equipment only without putting yoursel or anyone

else in danger. DO NOT FIGHT the re i it is spreading rapidly or blocking your exit. I you

do not know how to use the re equipment, leave the building immediately.

Closeroomdoorsandhallwaysdoorstopreventairmovementandspreadofsmoke.

DONOTPANIC.Advisestudentsthatthereplanisinoperationandremaincalm.Your

condence and judgment is extremely important and will prevent panic.

Storeammableliquidsproperlyanddispensethemfromanapprovedsafetycontainer.

Neena Singh , Science Teacher

Little World School, Tilwara, Jabalpur

The task o ensuring saety in schools can be overwhelming. However a saety checklist

can help the Management, Administration, Co-ordinators, teachers and students bring their

school into compliance even i they have little saety experience. The key to preventing injury

and hazards in the school is to establish saety and an environmentally sae program. The

entire purpose o establishing a sae school is deeated i the students are not trained and

taught how to use saety measures. By being vigilant at all times, training the students and

regular checks can make the school a sae place or the entire School Community.

Loretta Ellis (Co-ordinator)

St. Stephens School

TOGAN (Punjab)


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34 April-June, 2009

Ten Point Program or ensuring saety in Schoos

1. Preerence: Student saety should be a priority or each school and community.

2. Proactive panning and preparedness: School should have procedures or responding

quickly to unsae situations by devising ways beorehand.

3. Reguar and coser coaboration:The school management, school principal, teachers,

school sta, parents, students, and community should all be involved and work collaboratively

in eorts to prevent the breach o saety and respond in the wake o an emergency. Parents

and students should also be involved in activities that promote school saety. The School

must also liaise with the nearest hospital to deal with any medical emergency

4. Assigning Responsibiity:There must be someone in the school designated to coordinate

saety related activities to maintain a sae and healthy environment.

5. Proessiona Hep: School must ensure that counselors and psychologists are accessible

to students who are troubled or unruly. These proessionals should help or reer students

who come to them with concerns about saety. Adequately trained and certied paramedic

or doctor should always be available or the entire day in the school to deal with any

medical emergency.

6. Emotiona aspect o saety: Students in all grades must necessarily participate in special

classes to help them develop confict resolution and other lie skills and this could onlybe possible only when the school place adequate emphasis to promote sel-esteem and

respect or others in all aspects o the school program.

7. Training o teachers or eective preparedness: Teachers must be espoused and

encouraged to set examples o positive physical, social, and emotional health. Regular

training sessions should be compulsorily conducted.

8. Sticking to basics:The school needs to adhere to a air, rm, consistent discipline policy.

9. Precautionary measures: Facilities (Electrical gadgets, laboratory equipments etc.) at

school should be tested at regular interval to ensure their hazard-ree status. There should

be oolproo measures to prevent e-breach by the students while using internets.

10. Integra approach :The issue o saety should not be dealt per se rather it may beaddressed in all aspects o the school program-the caeteria, physical education, classrooms,

playgrounds, ater-school programs, etc. .The School must endeavor to integrate Saety in

as many programs as possible.

Monika SrivastavaMath Teacher

Mother Teresa School, Preet Vihar

What other Teachers say on "Safe Schools"


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April-June, 2009 35

Utopia Reading Cub at K.V. No. 3,Mumbai *Vandana Mishra

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to

body.

Ater internet spread out its reach to

average household, the reading habit o

almost all net users has steadily gone down.

Reading books no more happens to be a

choicest hobby or many.

To revive the reading culture among

the children oKendriya Vidyalaya No.3, Colaba,

Mumbai, a reading club called 'Utopia' has been

recently established with a hope that it will help

in the development o over all personality o

children.

Earlier many students were not in habit

o reading and making good use o the library

Schools Share Best Practices .....

acilities in spite o exhaustive collection o

reading material. This may probably be due to

a regimented environment in the library which

gave birth to the idea o starting a Readers

Club to encourage reading in a more inormal

and congenial atmosphere.

Preparation o the reading cub

Experiences Tells You What To Do, Confdence Allows

You To Do It.

l Type o readers were identied rom 7th,

8th and 9th standards, based on their

responses.

l Reading material was prepared so as to

make it more appealing and un. It was

categorized in order to make it suitable with

learners ability, knowledge and interest.

Students studying in the reading club "Utopia" at

Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 3, Colaba, Mumbai

Students participating in various activities conducted by Reading

Club "Utopia" at Kendriya Vidyalaya No. 3, Colaba, Mumbai

*Vandana Mishra is TGT (English) at K.V. No. 3, Colaba, Mumbai


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36 April-June, 2009

l A suitable place was identied and was

named Utopia Reading Club.

l Students were issued ID cards with the

Logo o the club.

l Time to meet was xed every Friday the

members met in the CCA periods.

l Light reading material was issued rom the

library and kept in the reading room. The

reading material chosen were books that

would expand their world, teach them

new ideas and equip them with critical

lie skills.

l Continuous assessment and interactionwas done. Evaluation and refection.

ACTIVITIES OF UTOPIA

Through my own trials, I have ound that it

is not enough to know what to do we must act

on that knowledge in order to have the lives

we want.

l Designing Book Covers.

l Reading Competitions.

l Exchange o views on common issues.

l Debates, Elocutions, drama, singing,

dancing.

l Out door Activity: Visit to a Book Store.

l Workshops were organized to motivate

students to read example Amar Chitra

Katha.

l Picture Talk.

l Poster making, collage work o glimpses

o 2008.

l Reading Captions, labels on product,

advertisement, road signs were

introduced.

CONClUSION

It was a great experience and joy in

starting a Readers Club in KV No.3, Colaba.

The members were motivated to readtheir prescribed text books on their own,

comprehend and understand them. Reading

helped them to iner, decode and interpret

the questions and Reading became a

pleasure.

Street pay against Chid Marriage byStep by Step High Schoo Students

To create awareness against child

marriages, students perormed a street play

on 21st January 2009.

The students went on visit to a nearby

village and interacted with the women and

children to create awareness against child

marriages. Through street plays the students

they enacted how devastating a child

marriage can be or a girl not only physically

but also emotionally and psychologically.They also put up a small dance and song

perormance to highlight the problem and

its solutions.

Students perorming a street play to spread awarenss about ill

eects o child marriage


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April-June, 2009 37

Media Clippings

Supreme Courts Directive on School Safety Norms in India

In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court ordered that no new government orprivate school would be given affiliation if the building did not have fire safetymeasures and earthquake resistant structure. Pained by the heart-rending death of

93 children in a fire at a Kumbakonam school in Tamil Nadu five years ago, a Benchcomprising Justice H Dalveer Bhandari S Bedi said, "Children cannot be compelledto receive education from an unsound and unsafe building."

Referring to painful incidents involving death of school children due to fire inKumbakonam as well as Dabwali in Haryana in 1995, the Bench said, "It has becomeimperative that safety measures as prescribed by the National Building Code of India,2005, be implemented by all government and private schools functioning in our

country."The other directions to all state governments are:

* all existing government and private schools shall install fire extinguishing equipmentwithin a period of six months

* school buildings are to be kept free from inflammable and toxic material or storedsafely

* evaluation of structural aspect of the school building must be carried outperiodically

* school staff must be well-trained to use the fire-extinguishing equipment

Courtesy : Times of India, April 14,2009


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Internet Safety

Google India has launched an Internet safety campaign called Be Net-Smart across India.

The aim of this campaign is to educate young Web users on how to use the Internetintelligently and stay safe online. Nowhere in the world is the idea that young peopleare the future truer than in India, so it is critical to empower our youth with all the toolsthat will help them build a better life. The Internet is feeding the curiosity of youth encouraging them to ask new questions and to expand the boundaries of their knowledge.The Be Net-Smart campaign is a step towards ensuring their safety online, while theycontinue to explore limitless possibilities.

Be Net-Smart is an interactive campaign that focuses on students in standard six and

above. The sessions conducted in the schools cover topics ranging from maintainingconfidentiality and refraining from interacting with strangers online to tips on downloadingcontent, posting pictures and online chatting. Besides students, parents and teachers arealso being educated on the same with topics such as Internet awareness and the need to beinvolved with children.

The campaign was launched in Mumbai on February 18 together with the Mumbai Police.Since then, the Mumbai Police and Google have managed to reach out to around 15,000

students, 300 teachers and 30 schools carrying the Be Net-Smart message. In fact, theMumbai police and Google employee volunteers have visited English, Hindi, Marathi,Gujarati and Urdu medium schools in Mumbai to spread the good word.

Ensuring the safety of children online requires a collaborative effort on the partof parents, teachers, authorities and service providers. This campaign is one suchcollaborative effort. Google and Mumbai Police are aiming to reach out to studentsto educate them about Internet security. It is vital to remember that the Internet ishere to stay.

Google India hopes to replicate this success enjoyed in Mumbai across India as well. Forthis, Google India is in talks with police organizations in Indian cities to form partnershipsto jointly educate students, teachers and parents about the judicious use of the Internet.

Courtesy: Google India


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April-June, 2009 39

SAFE SCHOOlS, SAFE INDIA

In collaboration with the North West Chapter of Sahodaya - Delhi.

Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia*

Checklist for Different Dimensions of Safety

Section- I : Physical Safety

DoestheschoolmaintainHealthcardsasenvisagedbytheComprehensiveSchoolHealthProgrammeofCBSE?

Doestheschoolkeepthemedicalrecordsofstudentswithspecialhealthproblems?

Doparentscommunicatetheirchildrenshealthissuesinschools? Doestheschoolhaveaqualifiedfulltimedoctor/nurseintheschool?

Isthereadoctor-on-callforemergency?

Hastheschooltiedupwithalocalhospitalwithintwokilometers?

Isthemedicalroomfullyequippedtohandleallemergencies?

Isthereafirstaidboxplacedateveryfloorofthebuilding?

Doestheschoolcarryoutannualmedicalcheckupofallthestudents?

Istheschoolstaffsensitizedtounderstandthegenuinehealthproblemsofthechildren?

Have the teachers undergone basic training courses on counseling, first-aid and identification ofdisabilities?

Doestheschoolhavea'HealthandWellnessClub'?

Doeseveryteacherregularlymakeuseofthe'SchoolHealthManual'? Is there anemphasis onintake of balanced diet by the studentsand is the consumptionof junkfood

discouraged?

Doestheschoolfollowafruitbreakormilkbreakormiddaymealplan?


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Istherea dietician and meal planner on school panel?

Dotheteachershavetheirmealswiththestudentsandmonitortheireatinghabits?

Isthechemistrylabequippedtohandlecommonemergencies? Isthehealthclimatebeingfosteredinschool?

AretheFirstAidprotocolsforcommoninjuriesdisplayedatdifferentplacesinschool?

Doestheschoolcallmedicalexpertsfromtimetotimetosensitizethestudentsandteachers?

Has the school constituted a parent teacher students committee to address the safety needs of thestudents?

Doestheschoolhavepropersewage,drainageandgarbagedisposalarrangements? Isthereproperfacilityforsafedrinkingwaterwithadequatenumberofwatertaps?

Aretheauditorium,assemblyhall,gymnasiumallfreefromhazardousfixturesandwithadequatelightand ventilation?

Istheaccesstoschoolbuildingbyoutsiderscontrolledandarevisitorsmonitored?

Arealltheareasinschoolsafebydesignorbystaffsupervision?

Doesthestaffactivelysupervisestudentsbothinsideandoutsidetheclassroom? Dothebencheshavesharpedges?

Arewindowsfixedwithproperrailings?

Arethewashroomshygienicanddisinfectantskeptawayfromthereachofchildren?

Aretheelectricalappliancesmaintainedandisthereaqualitycheckonthem?

Arethesecludedcorners,corridorsandstaircaseskeptunderwatchbystaffmembersduringlunchbreaks

and at the time of dispersal? Arethererampsandwheelchairsfordifferentlyabledstudentsorteachers?

Arethe parents connected with messaging system or mobile phone networking?

Isthemedicalhistoryofeverystudentavailableintheschool?


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April-June, 2009 41

Arethespecialrecordslike bloodgroups,allergiesandmedicationthat needtoprescribedfrequentlyupdated with parental support?

Are the physical education instructors sensitive enough to involvestudents in sportsaccording to their

physical capabilities and health related issues? IstheSportsRoomwellventilatedandwellequippedtohandlecommonsportsinjuries?

Aretheschoolplaygrounds,swings,rides,sports-equipmentsetc.safe?

Havetheschoolsbusespassedthesafetytest?

Isthereateacheronboardandahelperaccompanyingthechildreninschoolbuses?

AretheschoolbusesequippedwithFirstAidboxes,drinkingwaterandmobilephones?

Aretheelevatorsandexitwaysexaminedperiodicallyandondailybasis?

Arethelaboratoriessafeandspaciousenoughforhazardfreelearning?

Section II : Emotional Safety

Doestheschoolhave a strong policy statement against child abuse and exploitation?

Hasthestaffbeingtrainedtobealerttosignsofabuse?

Isthereaprocedureforcheckingonstaffbeforetheyareallowedtoworkwiththechildren?

Isthereachildprotectionpolicywhichincludesprocedurestobefollowedateacheroranothermemberofstaff is accused of harming a child?

Does the schoolprovidean goingtraininganddevelopmentforstaff toaddresstheirresponsibilitiestoprotect children from abuse?

Istherearegularcounseloronschoolroll?

Doestheschoolinformandconsultparentsandencouragetheparticipationoffamiliesinchildprotectionissues?

Istherearehabilitationprogramtorestoretheselfesteemofabusedchildren?

Arethechildrenbeingtaughtthedifferencebetweengoodtouchandbadtouch?

Isthechildbeinghelpedtounderstand his right over his own body especially, the right to say No?


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Dothechildrenenjoyanenablingenvironmentandaretheyencouragedtosharetheirpersonalconfidencewith the teachers?

Doestheschoolprovideworkshopsbymedicalexpertsandcounselorsonadolescencerelatedissues?

Does theschool providea sensitive platform forbuilding self esteemancommunicationskills amongchildren?

Section III : Social Safety

Are the children being given enough guidance on managing emotions and building healthy peerrelationships?

Arechildrenbeingsensitizedtorecognizeandpracticenegativepeerpressure?

Aretheytaughtskillstomanageangerandstress?

Are theybeinggivenpositivereinforcementto stayawayfromcriticism,rudelanguage,gossipingandtrivial matters that may lead to violence?

Doestheschooladdresstheissuesofbullying,harassmentandprejudiceagainstchildren?

Dotheteacherstrytomaketheirinfluencepositiveandisthereanatmosphereofconnectedness?

Isthereastrictmonitoringoftheft,graffitiandsocialcliquestohandlecrimes?

Istheschoolbuildingandgroundwellmaintained?

Dothestudentsfeelsafereportingcrimeandsafetyproblemstostaff?

Arethedisciplinaryandsafetyproblemsquicklyaddressed?

Are there enoughprogrammers conducted on AIDS Awareness,Anti tobacco andAnti-Drugsenvironment?

Aretherestressmanagementworkshops,yogaclassesandmeditationsessionsforstudentsandteachers?

Isthereahappyl

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