Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi announced on Tuesday, November 26, that, alongside movie screenings for government school students, short films focusing on child protection and the prevention of child abuse will also be showcased in schools across the state.
Speaking at a seminar organised for headmasters of high and higher secondary schools in Chennai, held as part of Child Abuse Prevention Week, the minister said that the state government will soon launch a short film competition on the subject of child abuse.
The best short films will be selected and screened for students during movie sessions to raise awareness on various topics, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, the minister said.
He added that awareness has been provided to more than 80,000 students who participated in the 1,723 National Service Scheme (NSS) camps held across the state. This apart, 8,615 teachers have also participated in awareness programmes so far.
"The GO (government order) released in 2021 states that November 17 to 22 should be observed as Child Abuse Prevention Week. We were not able to do it on these days due to examinations. However, I have asked the school education department officials to ensure the academic calendar is planned in such a way that we are able to do these activities on the mentioned date itself," the minister said.
Meanwhile, school education Secretary S Madhumathi explained to the headmasters provisions of the POCSO Act. She also urged the headmasters to ensure that students complain to them if there is any harassment happening to them.
