On a day when Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) Ashutosh Ranka announced he would visit multiple districts in Rajasthan to assess the condition of schools, the Rajasthan government on Sunday imposed restrictions on outsiders entering government schools and on taking photos and videos, citing students’ privacy.

Earlier in the day, CJP co-convener Ranka had said, “From Rajasthan, requests have come to me so far to inspect dilapidated schools in Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer, and Hanumangarh. In these places, the administration is not agreeing to the demand to fix the schools.”

He said that as part of CJP’s campaign to fix schools, called School Thik Karo, he will cover all these locations in the next few days, asking the people to tag him and the outfit “if there is a dilapidated school in your city or village too and the administration is not listening”, while tagging the state education department and school education minister Madan Dilawar.

Later, citing Right to Privacy and the school safety policy and guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the Secondary Education department imposed several restrictions on entry of unauthorised outsiders.

In its circular, the Department said that the state government, under the principle of “in loco parentis”, bears special responsibility for the safety, dignity, well-being and welfare of all children studying in government schools, and that as per NCPCR’s guidelines, every school should provide a safe, secure, and child-friendly environment for children and protect them from exploitation and invasion of privacy.

The directions include that no outsider will be allowed to enter the school premises without the prior permission of the principal/head of the institution, except authorised government officials; every visitor will make his/her entry in the visitor register before entering the school premises; and no outsider shall enter the classroom, laboratory, library, hostel, playground, toilet or any area where students are engaged in any activity unless accompanied by the principal, a teacher or an authorised school official.

Photography, videography, interviews, audio recording or live streaming of students, teachers or school activities will not be done without the prior written permission of the principal and will be permitted only for lawful purposes, states the circular.

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Additionally, the school authorities will have to ensure that photographs, videos or personal information of students are not collected, published or disseminated “in a manner that would affect their privacy, dignity or safety”.

And, “if any person enters the premises without permission, refuses to leave, attempts unauthorised photography/videography, or disrupts school operations, the principal will immediately inform the local police and the District Education Officer so that necessary action can be taken under applicable law”.

The circular also states that the principal may refuse admission to any visitor “whose presence is likely to affect security, privacy, discipline or the academic environment”.

The Circular states that all supervisory officers will have to ensure “strict compliance of the instructions as mentioned”.

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Going a step further, the government also said that the principal or the head of the school may, if required, direct the outsider to leave the school premises and initiate proceedings under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and other existing laws “as per the facts and circumstances of the case with the help of the local police”.

The circular states that “top priority” should be given to the instructions.

The directions come against the backdrop of Ranka’s sit-in with students at a school in Alwar on August 14, with the authorities eventually acceding to the students’ several demands, including additional rooms, clean toilets, an RO for drinking water, etc.

Reacting to the latest circular, Ranka, tagging Rajasthan Police on X, said, “Please feel free to already register an FIR against me and my team. Nothing can stop us from visiting the government schools in Rajasthan and getting them fixed.”

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Congress state president Govind Singh Dotasra also responded to the development: “Instead of improving the condition of government schools, the BJP government has sought a way to cover up its failures and hide the dilapidated state of the education system.”

“The Education Department, instead of transparency, has imposed restrictions on entry into school premises, photography and videography, and placed surveillance on those who ask questions. The question is, if everything is fine in the schools, then why the fear? Why is the government so restless at the emergence of pictures of dilapidated buildings, crumbling rooms, shortage of teachers, problems faced by children, and the failures of the government machinery?” he said.

“Schools belong to the public; they are not the private property of the BJP where arbitrary orders can be imposed. Participation of local people has been ensured in the mechanisms related to school management and development. In such a situation, any decision that weakens the oversight of public representatives, parents, and society is against transparency in the education system,” Dotasra said.