Gandhinagar, May 30 (IANS) Gujarat Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay, on Friday, mandated the presence of two uniformed police personnel on every school-organised trip across the state.

This directive applies uniformly to government, semi-government and private schools.

The decision follows key suggestions made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the 2024 Director General-Inspector General of Police Conference, where the importance of ensuring children’s safety during such activities was emphasised.

According to the new guidelines, all school trips — whether picnics, tours or visits — must include two uniformed police officers.

If female students are part of the group, at least one of the accompanying officers must be a woman.

To facilitate this, school principals have been instructed to directly coordinate with their local police stations to ensure timely deployment of the personnel.

The DGP has formally conveyed this directive to the Principal Secretary of the Education Department (Primary and Secondary), urging swift implementation by school authorities.

Beyond security, the initiative also aims to strengthen the relationship between students and the police.

Officials believe that regular interaction will help foster mutual trust and respect, ultimately encouraging a more cooperative and engaged civic mindset among young citizens.

As of the 2024–25 financial year, the Gujarat government has allocated Rs 59,999 crore to the education sector.

This allocation spans primary, secondary and higher education, as well as initiatives aimed at digital learning and skill development.

Gujarat has nearly 44,288 primary schools, including government, grant-in-aid, and private institutions.

In addition, there are thousands of secondary and higher secondary schools operating across the state.

Of the total primary schools, more than 32,000 are run by the government, while the rest are managed by private or semi-government entities.

The state also continues to see a steady rise in the number of private schools, with 495 new institutions approved between 2021 and 2022.

–IANS

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