No outsiders, no videos, no interviews: Rajasthan govt issues new order for schools as CJP plans audit; Ranka reacts
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Rajasthan govt restricts entry of outsiders, photography and interviews as CJP plans school visits Photograph: (Rajasthan govt restricts entry of outsiders, photography and interviews as CJP plans school visits)
Rajasthan has restricted unauthorised entry into government schools, barring photography, videography and collection of student data without permission. The move comes as CJP’s ‘School Thik Karo’ campaign plans school audits, drawing criticism from the Congress.
The Rajasthan government on Sunday (Aug 17) imposed restrictions on unauthorised entry of outsiders in the state-run schools. This comes after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka announced that he would be visiting schools across Rajasthan as part of the CJP's 'School Thik Karo' campaign to conduct an audit of the school amenities. Just as he was scheduled to begin his visits on Monday, the Rajasthan government issued a circular mentioning the strict guidelines on entry of strangers, photography and live streaming of school premises or collection of personal information of students or teachers. It cited the principle of "in loco parentis", which means "in place of parents", to justify the move. It said that it was aimed at securing the safety, dignity, well-being and welfare of all children.
This also comes after several students from schools across Jaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Barmer and Hanumangarh have shared videos on social media highlighting the poor conditions.
According to the circular, guidelines for schools are as follows
- No outsider, except authorised government officials, will be allowed entry without prior permission from the principal/head. Visitors must make their entry in the register before entering the school premises
- No outsider shall enter the classroom, laboratory, library, hostel, playground, toilet or any area where students are engaged in any activity unless accompanied by the principal, a teacher or an authorised school official.
- Photography, videography, interviews, audio recording or live streaming of students, teachers or school activities will not be done without the prior written permission of the principal and will be permitted only for lawful purposes.
- Photographs, videos or personal information of students should not collected, published or disseminated in ways which violate their privacy, dignity or safety.
- If anyone makes an unauthorised entry and refuses to leave, attempts unauthorised photography or videography, or disrupts school operations, will be liable for legal action. The principal must inform the local police and the District Education Officer in such cases.
- The principal is allowed to refuse entry to any visitor "whose presence is likely to affect security, privacy, discipline or the academic environment". All supervisory officers must ensure “strict compliance of the instructions as mentioned”.
- The principal or the head of the school may direct an outsider to leave the school premises and initiate proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the Information Technology Act, 2000 or other existing laws with the help of the local police.
Reactions on the circular
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“Instead of fixing schools, the Rajasthan government has started shutting down school audit activities. Whatever the Rajasthan government does, we will get our schools fixed,” CJP's Ashutosh Ranka wrote on X. He said education minister Madan Dilawar could lodge a case or even arrest them, but they would continue inspecting schools until their condition improves. Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dostara slammed the BJP government for trying to cover up its alleged failure. "Instead of improving the condition of government schools, the BJP government has found a way to cover up its failure and hide the poor condition of the education system," he said.
In a statement after the circular, Ranka took to X and alleged that "well-wishers, activists, government insiders" informed him that the “BJP is planning violence during his visit.” He added: “ Let BJP do it - And let the world watch them do it. Let the world document that when the youth of this country was fighting for education and better schools, BJP was responding with violence.”
CJP's 'School Thik Karo' campaign
It began after CJP founder Abhijit Dipke launched 'School Thik Karo' campaign from Hingoli in Maharashtra, marking 80th Independence Day. He said that government-run schools in India remain neglected irrespective of parties in power. Earlier on August 13, the official handle of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) said, “This Independence Day, we stop waiting. We audit it ourselves.” The outfit released a checklist:
