Rajasthan restricts entry, filming in govt schools as CJP plans inspection drive

The Rajasthan government on Sunday restricted unauthorised entry, photography and videography in state-run schools, hours after Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Ashutosh Ranka announced plans to inspect dilapidated school buildings across several districts.

The Indian Express reported that the Secondary Education Department said the directions were intended to protect students’ privacy, dignity and safety in accordance with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights’ school safety guidelines.

Earlier in the day, Ranka said he had received requests to inspect schools in Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Dholpur, Bharatpur, Kota, Barmer and Hanumangarh, where he alleged, the authorities had not responded to demands for repairs.

He announced that he would visit these places over the next few days as part of the CJP’s School Thik Karo campaign. Ranka also asked people to alert him and the organisation about poorly maintained schools in their cities and villages if the administration had failed to address their complaints.

In its circular, the education department said the state acted in loco parentis and therefore had a special responsibility to safeguard the well-being and welfare of children studying in government schools. It added that schools must provide a secure and child-friendly environment while protecting pupils from exploitation and infringements of privacy.

Under the new directions, no outsider, other than an authorised government official, may enter a school without the prior approval of its principal or institutional head. All visitors must record their details in a register before entering the premises.

Visitors will not be permitted to enter classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, playgrounds, toilets or other areas where students are engaged in activities unless accompanied by the principal, a teacher or another authorised official.

The circular also prohibits photography, videography, interviews, audio recordings and live-streaming involving students, teachers or school activities without the principal’s prior written permission. Such permission may be granted only for lawful purposes.

School authorities have been instructed to ensure that students’ photographs, videos and personal information are not collected, published or circulated in ways that could compromise their privacy, dignity or safety.

Principals may deny entry to anyone whose presence could affect security, discipline, privacy or the academic environment. They may also order unauthorised visitors to leave.

If a person enters without permission, refuses to leave, attempts to record photographs or videos without authorisation, or disrupts school operations, the principal must immediately alert the local police and district education officer.

Depending on the circumstances, proceedings may be initiated under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, the Juvenile Justice Act, the Information Technology Act or other applicable laws, the circular said.

Supervisory officers have been instructed to treat compliance with the directions as a top priority.

The order followed Ranka’s 14 August sit-in with students at a school in Alwar. The protest ended after the authorities agreed to several demands, including the provision of additional classrooms, clean toilets and a reverse-osmosis water purifier.

Responding to the circular, Ranka tagged Rajasthan Police in a post on X and challenged the authorities to register a case against him and his team in advance.

“Nothing can stop us from visiting government schools in Rajasthan and getting them fixed,” he said.

Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra also criticised the government, alleging that the restrictions were intended to conceal the poor condition of schools rather than improve them.

“If everything is fine in the schools, why is there fear?” Dotasra asked, referring to images of unsafe buildings, deteriorating classrooms, teacher shortages and problems faced by students.

He argued that government schools belonged to the public and said any measure weakening oversight by parents, local communities and elected representatives undermined transparency in the education system.