Schools, parents asked to keep an eye on students' activities

The provincial education department on Wednesday issued guidelines for parents and school administration across Sindh, asking them to ensure students attend classes and stop them from wandering outside their school premises.

The department suggested that schools and parents consider adopting new and innovative methods of watching over the students by using discreet GPS devices in vehicles, bags and lunch boxes and better CCTV camera monitoring. It further urged availing the facility of SMS alerts on entry/exit of students from school and social connectivity of parents.

According to a notification issued by the Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions Sindh, the department expressed concerns regarding its observation of student affairs not being regulated in a befitting manner.

"It has also been observed that some of the school-going students, particularly those from class IX and above are irregular, irresponsible and disinterested in getting an education," the notification read.

It also observed that students, instead of going to their schools, wander around in parks, at the beach, coffee shops, restaurants, markets and amusement sites, which leads them towards indulging in "unhealthy and antisocial" activities.

"Such derelictions are deemed to be counter-productive for students and at the same time viewed as a negative trend," the dedication department's notification mentioned.

It added that the situation is attributed to the mutual disregard of parents and school administration in enforcing academic discipline among students.

Emphasising dealing with the situation in an amicable manner, the department has advised viewing student discipline as a collective responsibility of school administration and parents, as it requires due attention and focuses to prevent and save children from indulging in unwanted and harmful activities on one hand as well as meeting required educational standards.

The notification has directed schools and parents to strictly adhere to the following:

• Conduct regular meetings with parents to provide reports to parents regarding their children’s attendance and academic activities.
• Parents must pay surprise visits to the schools to check the presence of their children in the classes.
• Strict check on students' activities inside school premises.
• Enhanced security/vigilance on the in/out of students during school time.