Goa releases new Blue Whale advisory for schools

Panaji: Displaying a Blue Whale Challenge advisory on the notice board and circulating it to parents of the wards is now part of an official guideline formulated by the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights for the state's schools.

According to the new set of guidelines released on Wednesday, the Commission has also directed school managements to conduct thorough police verification of teachers as well as non-teaching staff before hiring them.

The Blue Whale Challenge, created by a Russian Philipp Budeikin, is directly targeting children and encouraging them to harm themselves over 50 stages culminating in suicide.

The game is reportedly linked to the deaths of more than 100 young people around the world, including India.

Directing all schools to step up their security and vigilance efforts, the guidelines also want school managements to officially vet the antecedents of its staffers.

The guidelines adds that hiring of support staff should only be carried out from "reputed agencies in transport, security, housekeeping and canteen sections". It also calls for an efficient CCTV network and vigilance system in schools.

"(Schools) should appoint some staff as vigilance monitors on a rotation basis to keep an eye on all activities of students arrival and departure from school, during playtime, at mealtimes, near toilets," according to the guidelines.

It also calls for three separate attendance sessions through the day to ensure no child goes missing.