In an effort to safeguard girls in sports, the School Education department has released standard operating procedures (SOP), including yearly background verification and psychological screening for teachers, support staff and chaperones of schools.
According to the guidelines, the schools must ensure that a woman teacher, school management member or a parent must be present when a practice session takes place after school hours or during a holiday. Counselling services must also be provided at fixed and regular intervals.
Apart from providing awareness sessions to students on how to report grievances, the school must also encourage students to report their grievance. Schools must make it compulsory to report abuse and provide protection to whistle – blowers.
The guidelines further stated that coaches should be encouraged to record feedback and take necessary action. Critical feedback should be escalated to the Principal, it noted. The Student Safeguarding Advisory Committee must escalate the reported abuse cases to the District Child Protection Officer with the help of the Principal and other education department officials.
The department directed the coaches and teachers to ensure communication with parents regarding the students’ well-being regularly. A participant must always be accompanied by a girl student when going to restrooms.
The coaches and teachers must also undergo training on gender sensitisation, ethical coaching and child safeguarding before assigning duties. Training was also to be provided by child safety experts on the approval of the chief education officer on body rights, sex education, soft skills among others.
Schools should create awareness among coaches, teachers, and support staff on how to handle emergency situations, including cases of abuse, doping activities among others.
Published – July 04, 2025 01:21 am IST
