A Layered Civilian Oversight Model for School Integrity and Development in India Abstract

This project presents a layered civilian oversight framework designed to improve integrity, safety, and accountability in public school systems while preserving essential developmental challenges faced by students. The model introduces a four-tier structure consisting of general teaching staff, rotational conflict-resolution personnel (“Doubt Teachers”), a Cluster Administrator overseeing multiple schools, and an independent integrity auditor. The framework is grounded in the principle that education systems should prevent structural harm—such as severe bullying, administrative negligence, and corruption—without eliminating natural social friction, including minor conflicts, competition, and emotional challenges that are necessary for adolescent growth. Oversight mechanisms are designed to be transparent in existence, civilian in authority, and limited in scope to avoid over-policing student behavior. Rather than relying on surveillance-heavy or punitive approaches, the model emphasizes pattern-based intervention, layered accountability, and checks on decision-makers to reduce misuse of power. The proposed system aims to realistically mitigate 60–75% of serious institutional failures while maintaining psychologically healthy, resilient learning environments. This work is intended as a policy and governance proposal for education systems, particularly within large public-school networks, and is shared as an open, citable research artifact.