Education Trusts play a vital role when it comes to catering to the needs of education across the nation. Each Trust functions as per their own set of rules/guidelines. Most of them would emphasize majorly on discipline since it is the utmost important aspect to be followed in the institutions run by them.

These Trusts are governed by Trustees based on the terms set out by the Trust.

There are various Trusts across India. Some of the prominent ones includes:

Jai Sakthi Educational Trust which runs Panimalar Engineering College

Velammal Educational Trust which runs Velammal College/Schools

Mohd Sathak Trust which runs Mohd Sathak Engineering College and other institutions to name a few. 

Safety is critical for the students. Hence educational Trusts need to be really careful when it comes to hiring the staff as they are the first level of contact with the students. They must ensure that the staff members are well equipped with knowledge which is required for the position they are being hired. For instance, a teacher should also be having a good knowledge in student psychology since we have recently been witnessing a lot of clashes happening between the teachers and the students which is not a good sign. We have also witnessed students threatening teachers and some of the videos have gone viral, online. A teacher with good handling skills coupled with psychology can diffuse the situation effectively through conversations and counseling. 

Secondly, an institution must surely hire a counselor since teachers cannot be expected to do the same, all the time. A counselor can effectively handle any emergency situation and ensure that the situation is brought under control. He or she should have done a post-graduation in human psychology. 

The institutions need to be equipped with CCTV cameras in all the public areas. This ensures there are no malpractices. Just an installation alone will not suffice but they need to be monitored during the school/college functioning hours and any discrepancy should be brought to the notice of the higher officials. They have to be regularly serviced to ensure it is functioning properly without missing any important footage. They have to be backed up regularly as well and should be stored in such a place where any evidence is not tampered.

The Trust should also appoint a safety officer whose major role is to ensure the safety of the student which includes physical safety as well. Safety aspects include the areas like Swimming Pool where properly trained instructors are appointed. Buses must be equipped with GPS and Speed Controller and they are to be supervised on regular intervals to ensure the buses are adhering to safety aspects all the time without having to bribe the officials to get the fitness certificate. If these were carried out efficiently, we wouldn’t have lost a few lives which shook the nation (death in swimming pool, child losing a life falling through the hole in the school bus).

Safety from Child abuse is another important aspect which needs to be taken care of. While some of this can be addressed by installing CCTV’s, not all will come under its purview. Hence an institution needs to always have a strong grievance redressal cell whose job is to ensure that no such unforeseen events happen in the first place and if it had happened, strict punishments need to be meted out to those who were responsible for this heinous act.

Food safety is also a matter of concern. We have seen some disturbing news in the past about kids losing their lives eating shawarma and stale food. While a school or a college is not responsible for the action done outside their premises, what could be done by them is to educate the students to stop eating from the roadside eateries which are usually found in abundance around these institutions as students are easy targets. Even if they do have these food vendors, they need to ensure that the outlets have FSSAI certificates and Local Government permission among others. By educating the students inside the premises, their lives can be saved.

Religious harmony is something which needs to be imbibed among the students. We have witnessed some incidents in the recent past. This can be avoided by promoting religious harmony.The points raised above are only indicative and not a complete guidance but if this is followed strictly; they can ensure the safety of the students and the faculty.

By Sarath Babu S

Author of this article is Sarath Babu S and he writes on topics related to social issues. You can reach out to him through DM on his Instagram page. Sarath is also an MBA and MCA Graduate and holds an honorary doctorate. He is a Melwin Jones Fellow and also Fellow of United Writers Association of India. Having worked with top notch brands, he is presently pursuing his career as an independent digital marketer where he has helped 100’s of brands to leverage on social media platforms since 2012. Sarath is also one of the top books and restaurant reviewers in India.