10 point factsheet: Check if your child's school safe enough from terror attacks!

New Delhi: The horrifying terror attack on Pakistan's Bacha Khan University on Wednesday jolted the entire nation. The deadly attack took 22 lives and sent a shockwave to India.

While the attack reignited the trauma of 2014 Peshawar school attack, it also fuelled the concern among parents about how safe their children are in the school premises.

Notably, after the 2014 Army Public school attack, Indian government had issued certain guidelines for school as a precautionary measure to deal with the terror-attack like situation.

Bacha Khan attack: When a university Professor sacrificed his life to shield his students

Now, as Pakistan has faced the similar attack within a year's time, it forces us to check the level of security of schools and universities in India.

Here we are providing you with 10 point guideline issued by the Indian government to schools. Check out if your child's school is prepared to tackle with terror.

1. Each school should have concrete boundary wall, with 3 to 4 gates and each gate should be manned by at least 3 guards, on a 24- hour's basis.

2. Details of telephone number of the Police Control Room and local police station should be maintained and updated regularly by the school authorities.  These details should be displayed at prominent places so that in case of crisis, the Principal, teachers, students, staff or security guards or any one from the school may contact the Police.  A nodal officer may be nominated to look after security arrangement in the school.  

3. A telephone connection should be provided at the main gate of the School so that the guards can inform the Police in case of any emergency without waiting for informing the nodal officer or the Principal.

4. There should be proper illumination along the perimeter so that nobody can jump over the wall into the school in the night for any nefarious activity.

5. Concertina wire may be fixed on the iron grills above the boundary wall to deter any one from jumping over the wall.

6. Installation of CCTV systems all along the boundary as well as some additional locations inside the premises, to monitor the movement of any suspicious person, with recording facilities for the last three days, at least.  The system should also have requisite video analytics to detect any intrusion and raise an audio as well as visual alarm.  CCTV system alarm may also be connected to the identified gates to close them automatically.

7. Walkie Talkie sets for communication between security guards and nodal security officer be arranged, intercom between main gate/ other perimeter gates to the nodal security officer and the Principal of the School may be provided for efficient communication.         

8. There should be centralized Public Announcement System between Nodal

Officer and all classes/ library etc. by which instructions can be given to the students/ staff in each room, collectively or individually or in selected combination, may be installed.

9. A visual anti-sabotage check of the entire school should be carried out by the security staff of the school before the children start arriving in the morning.  They should also check the footpath in front of the school, all along the boundary wall including the parking area to detect any suspicious objects lying unattended there.

10. Alarm System: In order to alert the entire security staff, Principal, Teachers and the students in case of any contingency, a suitable electric bell needs to be installed connecting all the gates to a nodal point in the school.  The alarm system should also have a display panel to indicate the location from which the alarm has been raised.  The alarm can be manually pressed by the guards or get activated automatically if any vehicle crashes into the gate.  The nodal officer should immediately verify the reason for raising the alarm, inform the Principal, take action to initiate the contingency drill in the school and inform the police.

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