School heads asked to set up complaint box to prevent sexual offences

Chief Educational Officer R Swaminathan asked all schools in the district to set up complaint box as per the order of Madras High Court. Madurai District Chief Educational Officer R Swaminathan has sent a circular to all school heads across the district on Thursday.

In his letter he ordered all school heads to set up complaint box in all the school premises and display the phone numbers of district internal committee members in the notice board, as per Madras High Court order. He said, "As per the court's recommendations, each district should have a committee comprises of District Social Welfare Officer, Secretary to the District Legal Services Authority, a woman police officer not below rank of Superintendent of Police, District Educational Officer, a Woman Psychiatrist and Physician from the Government Hospital. Each school should set up a complaint box regarding sexual offences and key of the box should be kept under the control of the Secretary, Dîstrict Legal Services Authority. The box shall be inspected by the Dîstrict Legal Services Authority and Social Welfare Officer once in a week, complaints must be forwarded to the concerned police station. Apart from this phone numbers of committee members and concern jurisdiction All Woman Police station number also be displayed in the notice board."

He further stated that as per the court's order it is mandatory to set up complaint box in all the Educational institutions, concerned District Educational Officers, Block Educational Officers need to inspect the schools and take efforts to ensure the Madras High Court's order.