Ekya School

As a school, we believe that protecting the interests of our children is non-negotiable. We take every possible measure to ensure that our students have access to a learning environment that is safe, secure and enjoyable. Here are some of the security measures that are in place at our campuses: Each campus was designed and constructed with the conscious thought of safety in mind. In addition to vantage points, staff rooms are strategically situated so that teachers may keep an eye on the corridors and student activity at all times. Each of the campuses is brightly lit. Our schools were built with the intention of heavily relying on natural wind and sunlight during the school hours. We do not have rooms that are secluded or dark. Every room has a glass panel that assures visibility of any activity taking place. As you might already be aware, we have a 100% female teaching staff team including our Physical Education department. Each of our campuses has a resident security. Once the school begins, gates are closed and entry and exit is completely restricted. A security guard is stationed at the school gate to register and monitor individuals who enter the campus. Our teachers have the right to question any unfamiliar face on campus by politely approaching them. In this regard, we request our parents to kindly avoid pressuring the school to allow them to visit their child’s class to drop off something. All campus civil maintenance related works are carried out post school hours thereby prohibiting any service provider into our premises. However, if there is anything that requires urgent attention, there is a female campus in-charge at each our schools, who escorts all servicemen. Our parents are not allowed inside campus during school hours unless there is an event or activity they have been invited to. We have a central team that oversees safety and security for all our campuses. This team checks the background of every member of the support staff. Headed by a former Inspector General of Police, we believe we are well-equipped for challenges that may come our way. Our campuses have been provided with tight CCTV surveillance that cover corridors and meeting-points of every floor. A child protection committee has been constituted to help work towards a safer school environment. Faculty members have also been sensitized about this issue. To allow a teacher exercise control over the number of students visiting the washroom during her class, we have restricted the access to two students at a time. With the increase in school strength, we will follow a system of hall-passes. Female support staff are positioned at the pre-primary and primary restrooms. There are separate male and female washrooms for students and teaching staff. Drivers, security access an external washroom which is not within the campus. The school offers co-curricular activities from reputed and verified individuals or companies. We have our teaching staff oversee their classes too. This gives the school authorities an idea of their effectiveness and ensures that they are within the school expectations. RFID cards have been issued to all children in the pre-primary and Grade I to help both the school and the parents to ensure safety of the students. Loss of this card must be reported immediately. Our older children have been instructed to keep an eye out for any irregular activity and to report in the event of trouble or difficulty. A student committee is in place to help younger children in need of any sort of assistance. We trust our students to help us build a safe and conducive environment for the Ekya family. Our school leadership conducts frequent classroom observations of all teachers, including the PE department. An evaluation of pedagogy, rapport and content is done to help understand the teachers better. To be prepared in the event of any emergency, students are made aware of the fire evacuation procedures. Members of our staff are trained in First-Aid. In addition to the in-house School Nurse, there is a doctor on call to address any medical emergencies. Our children are regularly educated about good touch and bad touch. We also discuss safety norms at school which include digital citizenship, ethics and internet safety. We request the parents also to speak to their children about the same at home. At Ekya, we have also ensured the safety and security of our students is met not just within the school campus but also while using the school transportation. Here are the safety measures that we have: GPS tracking systems are installed on all our school buses which lets us monitor their locations. Each bus has a lady attendant who accompanies the students during pickup and drop-off. A few of our teachers join them in the morning. Our drivers and attendants have been given strict instructions, in terms of their behaviour in the bus. They are always seated in the front of the bus and not with the children. Workshops are conducted for our security staff, drivers and attendants at regular intervals to reiterate the importance of their duty and sensitize them regarding the safety of our students. Parents are requested to lend their support in ensuring safe travel of their wards and all children on the bus. Being on time at the pickup and drop-off points would help keep the children safe and will ensure smooth functioning of the transport department. Parents are requested to avoid calling the driver when he is at the wheel. With a dedicated transport in-charge, headed by a centralized team, the drivers and attendants are continuously briefed and checked. Surprise checks are conducted on the buses at regular intervals to ensure that all safeguards are in place. Children using our transportation services have been provided with Bus ID cards. You can view the route numbers and pickup/drop-off points in the respective school’s transportation page. The above mentioned processes are in all place, under the strict supervision of Mr. S.K Balaram, Head of Security and I.T and Mr. U.P Shivaram Reddy, Chief Administrative Officer. With their experience as part of the State’s Police Service, their leadership ensures that high security measures are always in place. As a school, we are dedicated to ensure a safe learning environment for our children. We believe that safety and security is a shared responsibility of the society and parents play an important role. We kindly request our parents’ support to ensure that our children are guided and educated with this regard. We believe that it is important to protect the sanctity of our children and the innocence of their childhood. We’d also like to add that, as parents and teachers, we shouldn’t spread panic among children. Paranoia or suspicion towards men, such as our drivers, security, all of whom are earning their honest livelihood is unfair and sets a wrong example to children