Seminar held to discuss child safety in schools

The seminar was organised to find possible steps to identify problems, prevent mishaps and ensure safety for young learners

Kolkata: To secure safe environment for children in schools, all stakeholders should chip in equally, experts at a seminar on child safety have said.

The speakers at the 'Child first, Safety first' seminar, organised by the Bengal Chamber's Education Committee in association with 'Early Childhood Association' (ECA) here Thursday, said the contributions should be made by Child Welfare Boards, school authorities, psychologists, experts, parents and peers alike.

The seminar was organised to find possible steps to identify problems, prevent mishaps and ensure safety for young learners and improve the perception of schools as a safe place for knowledge, a press release said.

The release referred to recent incidents in some school premises in the country and how it had triggered concern among guardians, parents and citizens and felt it was important that the rearing of a child be conducted in a loving, healthy and safe environment.

Pointing out that children are often bullied by peers, it said physical and sexual threats go unheard and unidentified leaving a deep scar on the tender minds. This leads to behavioural outbursts and rise in negative traits that can severely hamper normal growth and development of a child. Therefore, the institutes involved in imparting early education have to ensure a secure and happy environment for the children who consider school as their second home, it said.

Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar, Territorial Head, Early Childhood Association Suman Sood, ECA Secretary Asha Verma, Aprajita Rai (IPS), socialist and eminent dancer Alokananda Roy were among the panelists, according to the press release issued by the Education Committee.