Gujarat’s Education Department has tightened access and recording rules for government schools, requiring outside visitors to obtain prior written permission before entering school areas or photographing, filming, interviewing or live-streaming students, teachers and school activities.
The rules apply to all external visitors and do not specifically name political parties or opposition groups, according to a report by Divya Bhaskar – Ahmedabad. The move comes amid visits by political leaders and organisations to government schools to document their condition, facilities and education services.
Under the new guidelines, an external person can enter classrooms, laboratories, libraries, hostels, playgrounds, toilets or areas where student activities are taking place only when accompanied by the principal, a teacher or an authorised school official. Prior written approval from the principal or head of the institution is also required.
The same permission requirement applies to photographs, videos, interviews, audio recordings and live streams involving students, teachers or school activities. The report said such activities may be permitted only for lawful purposes. The guidelines also place responsibility on school authorities to ensure that the collection, publication or circulation of student photographs, videos and personal information does not affect children’s safety, dignity or privacy.
Visitors will not be allowed to collect a child’s personal information or publish the child’s identity or image without prior written permission from the principal. The circular gives school heads the authority to deny access when they believe a visit could affect school security, privacy, discipline or the learning environment.
The department’s instructions also set out a response when visitors enter without permission, refuse to leave, attempt unauthorised photography or videography, or disrupt school operations. In such cases, the principal must immediately inform the local police and the relevant education authorities, including the district education officer, district primary education officer, administrative officer or taluka primary education officer, depending on the school’s administrative structure.
The principal may ask an unauthorised visitor to leave the premises and seek police assistance when necessary. The stated purpose is to protect school security, student privacy, discipline and the educational environment while creating a formal process for legitimate visits and recordings.
The new rules follow a request from the Ahmedabad Municipal Teachers’ Association to the district collector and municipal commissioner. The association had alleged that political parties and NGOs were visiting municipal schools in the name of inspections and publicising material that could damage the reputation of teachers and schools. The report said the association sought restrictions on unauthorised entry.
The guidelines do not separately prohibit the Aam Aadmi Party, Congress or any other political organisation. Instead, the permission, supervision and privacy requirements are framed for every outside person seeking access to government schools. This places the immediate responsibility for implementation on principals and school authorities, who must assess requests, record permissions and act when visitors breach the rules.
The department’s next operational step will be enforcement by school heads and the relevant local education and police authorities when violations are reported.
