Big update for students in Karnataka: all schools must now offer gynecological checkups for girls by a gynecologist and introduce sex education.
The goal is to help children understand more about child rights, prevent teenage pregnancies and child marriage, and make campuses safer: CCTV cameras are becoming a must.
Child protection committees and counselors mandatory
Schools will set up child protection committees (with parents, teachers, and students) that meet regularly.
Experienced and qualified counselors on campus are now required to address the mental health and other challenges faced by adolescent students.
Schools have to report if a girl student in a school or residential school remains absent for more than three days without providing any notification, plus the principal must inform the gram panchayat and the child helpline (1098) in writing,
there's new focus on stopping school-going children from being subjected to child labor and making sure girls who have dropped out of school get back into class until they're 18.
Lessons will also cover how to spot abuse or substance misuse.