JOIN USIt is now mandatory for teaching and non-teaching staff of all schools, private and government, in the City to obtain an antecedent and address verification certificate from the police.
After obtaining the certificate, the staff will be issued authorised identity cards from their respective institutions.
The decision was taken by the Bangalore Police, after a meeting with the secretary of Karnataka Private School Joint Action Committee (KAPSJAC), Shashi Kumar, to ensure the safety of school children in the wake of the rape of a six-year-old girl at Vibgyor High in Marathahalli.
Police Commissioner M N Reddi on Friday issued an order that teaching and non-teaching staff, school van/bus drivers and management representatives, have to pay a fee of Rs 250 each and get “police verification certificate for job aspirants” along with “antecedents and address verification” done by the police.
The measure was thought of since it would not have much financial implication on school managements. Those who are already working, as well as those aspiring for a job in schools, have to compulsorily get the certificate.
The filled-in form, along with a fee of Rs 250, can be submitted online or at the single window counter at the police commissioner’s office on Infantry Road. Though the police have not set any deadline to obtain the certificate, the school managements are expected to complete the process at the earliest as the deadline set by the police commissioner to implement the school safety guidelines expired on August 31, said sources in the police department.
Reacting to the order, Kumar said, the amount of Rs 250 is not feasible. Schools have several teaching and non-teaching staff and the cost will be too much. The amount needs to be reduced to a maximum of Rs 100 or the police should do it for free, he added.
A senior police officer said that obtaining the verification certificate was in addition to the eight guidelines issued by the police commissioner through an order on July 26.