HC seeks report on school safety committees in TN

madurai: the madurai bench of the madras high court has directed the tamil nadu government to submit a report on the formation of student safety committees in all government schools by march 25.the order came in response to a public interest litigation (pil) filed by advocate shabna from srirangapuram in theni district. in her petition, she highlighted that a 2021 government order mandated the formation of safety and advisory committees in schools to protect students from sexual harassment. these committees, headed by principals, were to include teachers, parents, non-teaching staff, and a representative of the school administration.the petitioner contended that while the committees were initially constituted in 2021-22, they have not been regularly restructured or effectively implemented. she pointed out that awareness programs on the protection of children from sexual offences (pocso) act, which teachers are supposed to conduct, are not being properly executed. she urged the authorities to ensure the committees function effectively in all government schools.a bench comprising justices j. nisha banu and s. srimathi directed the secretary and director of the school education department to file a status report on the matter.bjp's annamalai calls for psychological support in schoolsmeanwhile, tamil nadu bjp president k. annamalai has called for setting up psychological support centers in all schools, citing reports of a seventh-grade girl from a government school in tirupattur being sexually assaulted by a teacher.ina statement, annamalai noted that incidents of sexual harassment in schools have been on the rise across tamil nadu. he urged the government to implement the madras high court's directive to establish psychological counseling centers and appoint qualified counselors to support students.criticizing the state government, he questioned whether the school education minister would take responsibility for ensuring student safety.