Bengaluru: The school education department (pre-university) has issued a circular mandating that all pre-university colleges must implement the recommendations of the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR). The recommendations include the formation of a child protection committee in every college, appointing a qualified counsellor, and following a cybersecurity policy, among others.
“In recent years, there has been an increase in cases of teenage pregnancy, Pocso cases, child marriages, and online sexual exploitation across the country and in the state. In this context, KSCPCR, during a recent visit to various PU colleges in the state, found that the necessary safeguards to prevent these dangers were not adequately in place,” stated Thippeswamy KT, member of the commission, in a letter to the department.
Subsequently, the department issued a circular mandating that colleges must follow the recommendations of the commission, including implementation of the Karnataka State Child Protection Policy-2016 and child protection committees as per the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Any information about a sexual offence should be reported immediately to the police and the child welfare committee (CWC). If there is any suspicion of child marriage, the authorities concerned should be alerted at once, the circular states.
The recommendations call for appointing psychological counsellors in every PU college, conducting annual programmes on adolescent health, safety, and legal awareness, and implementing a digital safety policy while taking strict action against online exploitation under the IT Act. They also stress student visits to the nearest police station, peer support systems, mental health screenings, mandatory life-skills education, and a confidential grievance redressal mechanism for students.
Thippeswamy recommended that life skill education be made mandatory for the personality development of children and to improve their self-defence skills. A confidential grievance redressal mechanism should be established for students to lodge complaints, the circular stated.
