Days after an incident of two teachers abusing and thrashing toddlers in a play school came to light in Mumbai, the Early Childhood Association has enlisted guidelines for parents, owners, and teachers.

In a note released by the association, experts have asked parents to be watchful about the preschool’s policies and qualification of the staff employed before enrolling their students there. Likewise, schools have been asked to follow a strict zero tolerance policy towards such behaviour from teachers and sack them immediately if such incidents came to light.

“According to UN convention, safety, protection and development is the right of the child and India is a signatory for it: so together let’s keep children safe, secure and happy everywhere,” the association said in its note.

They added that parents must check for a Zero tolerance policy encompassing basic safety and rights of the child. “Check if all staff sign a Zero Tolerance Policy that states that- “We as a school uphold the safety and security of children in our care and we do not tolerate any kind of abuse whether verbal, physical, emotional or sexual on children in our care. Teachers cannot shout, scream, compare, hit, abuse any child verbally, physically, emotionally or sexually and if found doing so will not only be removed but we may even file a police case.”

They have also urged parents not to insist on live streaming of the time at school. “. The first reaction of parents will be to ask you for live streaming of CCTV, please understand that live streaming is compromising the safety of every child as every parent and relative will be able to see all children, their habits, likes, dislikes and behaviour. It is extremely dangerous that present times forwards can fall in the hands of those with ill intentions for children.”

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