Complaint boxes to be installed by TN govt in schools to check harassment of students

The Tamil Nadu Education Department has directed all elementary and higher secondary schools in the government sector to install complaint boxes for students on campuses.

According to a statement from the Education Department, 31,214 elementary schools and 6,177 government higher secondary schools will install complaint boxes in their respective schools.

The complaint box will prominently display the helpline number of the state education department (14417) and a flex board for awareness regarding the aspects of student safety. An amount of Rs 1,000 will be sanctioned for each school to set up the complaint box and awareness flex board.

The state's Education Department further stated that an amount of Rs 61 lakh would be sanctioned for installing complaint boxes and flex boards for government higher secondary schools, while an amount of Rs 3.12 crore will be sanctioned for elementary schools. The Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will fund the project.

The school principals have been instructed to prominently display these complaint boxes in front of the principal's office with the label 'Manavar Manasu'. Every 15 days, members of the Students' Safeguarding Advisory Committee (SSAC) will check these boxes and will take immediate action, if there are genuine complaints.

The Education Department has been in the process of creating awareness among the student community and has asked students to raise complaints if they are harassed in schools. The SSAC's will create awareness and training on various aspects of child safety and both teaching and non-teaching staff will be given awareness on child mental health and harassment.