Operation Pathshala: No, our schools are not safe, reveals Zee Media sting

New Delhi / Noida: Are our schools safe? Can we implicitly trust the school management to keep our kids safe? Do they have necessary the security measures in place?

Glaring security lapses at top Delhi, Noida and Gurugram schools has shocked many parents. Throngs have come out protesting the lack of security, putting their concerns in front of higher authorities. 

But has this changed anything?

Following the gruesome murder of a seven-year-old Pradyuman Thakur inside Ryan Internation School, Zee Media correspondents decided to check how safe are our schools in Delhi-NCR region.

Our undercover reporters entered four top private schools in Delhi NCR region – Alhcon Public School, ASN Senior Secondary School, Sommerville School and Apeejay School.

Our objective was not to expose lapses in the school system but to conduct a reality check.

What we found is beyond shocking.

Our undercover correspondents were able to easily walk inside school premises, visit classrooms and wash rooms. We, the random strangers, even spoke to little students.

Here's a detailed account of what we faced in each school:

1. Alhcon Public School, Mayur Vihar Phase-1

At around 7:20 am on Monday morning, our undercover reporter walked up to the school guard, requesting to him let us enter. The guard easily agreed, not even asking for our identification. At that time, several kids were entering the school.

We walked up to a school official standing nearby, requesting for directions to transport section. He pointed us towards the required room. Thanking him, we proceeded inside. 

But instead of walking towards the transport section, we turned towards the classrooms on a different floor.

Reaching inside Class 2 section, we spoke to a little girl who gave us all her details -- name, school, age etc. 

Then, we walked inside the toilet and filmed the entire bathroom. 

At this point, our reporters were inside the school premises for more than five minutes, without anyone noticing us.

Very calmly, we exited the school premises. Noone questioned us at the exit gate.

 

2. ASN Senior Secondary School, Mayur Vihar

At around 8 am, our undercover reporter headed towards the second school in the vicinity. Near the gate, stood several school buses, with teachers and students walking inside.

Here too, we easily entered the school premises, shooting the entire campus with a spy cam. We accessed the girl's toilet, once again filming the entire washroom. Next, we entered the classroom and took a leisurely round of school.

While climbing up the stairs, we even stopped to chat-up with middle school children.

Unhindered, we proceeded towards the gate, standing without any motive for a few minutes, before exiting. No one batted an eyelid.

 

3. Sommerville School, Sector 22, Noida

The security system was foolproof at this Noida school. No complaints here. But just meters away from the main school boundary, lies a local wine shop often visited by alcoholics.

Several parents Zee Media spoke to expressed their angst over this. “What are the authorities doing? Isn't it the government's responsibility to check what lies outside school,” said an angry mother. Another mother broke down, expressing helplessness at the situation.

"Where do we go? What do we do!" she exclaimed.

Interestingly, CBSE has issued a series of guidelines taking full responsibility for the physical and emotional safety of children. A wine shop just meters away flouts major guidelines.

 

4. Apeejay School, Malviya Nagar

Finally, we stepped towards Apeejay, another popular Delhi school. At the entrance, the security complied with all necessary security arrangements. They took down our names, our ID details etc. But missing on one glaring aspect.

Our undercover reporter was carrying a knife inside the bag, a potentially life-threatening weapon.

We completed the school trip, without anyone noticing this.

 

Reaction

Zee Media's primary objective was to highlight lapses in security, not point fingers at anyone. So we went back to the authorities to report what we found.

The school principal of Alhcon Public School was shocked. “Anyone entering the school must have visiting card or identification documents,” he agreed.

However, authorities at ASN School flatly refused to admit the loophole in their security, till we showed proof. The school official finally agreed to investigate the matter.

Keeping in mind the above incidents, we request all parents to check the safety arrangements in their children's school.

Ask the management, are the kids safe?