The objective of this post is to address our continued concern over incidents of crimes against children at schools, which have been reported in the news.
We would like to assure you that we have each and every Inventurer’s best interest at heart. Needless to say, the safety of children is our top priority. And given the recent implementation of the “Goonda Act” at our educational institutions, so is ‘educator’s safety’!
Our response to these concerns necessitates a delicate and collaborative balancing act. Parents and schools must work together to give everyone the respect and justice deserved in order to maintain the safety, privacy, and dignity of all the members of our learning community. Of course, this needs to be the commitment of the government, NGOs, and the media, as well.
Please be assured that Inventure has a zero tolerance policy on any form of harassment of our students or faculty and any incident brought to our notice, even verbally, will be addressed by the school management independently and stringent action will be taken. We follow all relevant laws and our school’s strict internal policies most fastidiously. Inventure has a Complaints Committee established under the POSH Act (Prevention of Sexual Harassment Act 2013-14). Our policy in fact goes beyond POSH and covers everyone, irrespective of gender.
We are also working on a child protection policy and will be designating a children’s ombudsman assisted by a team that will include student representatives for peer-to-peer support. Such matters require diplomatic and thoughtful responses, and therefore we must use great caution in igniting discussions with regard to any sensitive issues, on social media or offline.
Only holistic solutions – those that are emphasized at school, at home, and outside – will keep our children safe. We are therefore, committed to working as a community to enforce these solutions in collaboration with all stakeholders, including our parent body. We recently invited a parent to join our POSH committee. We will be in touch with you regarding this and other opportunities to collaborate, when we have finalized the documentation and found appropriate organizations to work with. We are also working with other school and community leaders to create an ecosystem which will ensure children’s protection.
Please find below, two news article links:
- Deccan Chronicle in which my personal views on safety in schools have been highlighted.
http://epaper.deccanchronicle.com/articledetailpage.aspx?id=1299703
- Bangalore Mirror where safety measures we have implemented and are work in progress have been highlighted
http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Schools-that-have-taken-steps-to-ensure-kids-safety/articleshow/44999489.cms?
Thank you very much for your continued support and partnership.
Best Regards,
Nooraine Fazal
Managing Trustee / CEO