774 Delhi schools found with safety deficiencies; private schools account for highest share

As many as 774 schools in Delhi have been found with safety-related deficiencies during a city-wide inspection drive launched under the Child Protection Month initiative, with private schools accounting for the highest number of cases, officials said on Sunday.

According to a statement from Lok Nivas, 1,677 schools were inspected between July 13 and 24 using a ‘Student Safety Checklist’ prepared in line with the guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The statement said the schools found deficient have been placed under corrective follow-up.

The inspection drive was launched following directions issued by Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during a review meeting on July 6, where they called for strict and time-bound implementation of Child Protection Month initiatives across the capital.

The exercise covers government, government-aided, MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board and private schools.

Of the 1,677 schools inspected so far, 790 were government schools, 812 were private schools and 75 were government-aided schools. Safety deficiencies were found in 270 government schools, 463 private schools and 41 government-aided schools, it stated.

The statement added that private schools accounted for a disproportionately high share of deficiencies compared to the number inspected and remain under close monitoring by the inspection teams.

The inspections are being conducted by teams comprising representatives of parents, the Directorate of Education, the Women and Child Development Department, Delhi Police and heads of schools, it said.

The teams are assessing schools against the prescribed safety checklist and identifying gaps requiring immediate attention.

Schools where deficiencies have been identified are being directed to take remedial measures, following which verification will be carried out to ensure compliance rather than treating the exercise as “a one-time formality”, it read.

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The statement further said the inspection drive will continue until all 5,633 schools in Delhi are covered.

The objective, it added, is to institutionalise child safety measures as a permanent feature of school functioning and build a sustained culture of safety, accountability and preparedness across educational institutions in the capital.