Karnataka govt takes firm action to stop school students from cleaning toilets

This stern warning comes in light of recent incidents, including a case where children were forcibly pushed into a toilet at Yeluvanalli Morarji Desai School in Malur Taluk of Kolar district

The state education department on Sunday issued a circular prohibiting forcing students into toilet-cleaning activities in schools.

HT Image

This stern warning comes in light of recent incidents, including a case where children were forcibly pushed into a toilet at Yeluvanalli Morarji Desai School in Malur Taluk of Kolar district. Similar instances of students being involved in cleaning toilets were reported in Andhrahalli and Shimogada schools in the state recently.

The department, in the circular stated that students should not engage in toilet-cleaning activities. “If it is cleaned, a first information report (FIR) will be registered,” the circular stated. The circular further states, “Strict instructions have been issued to the head teachers of all government primary and high schools in the state and to all concerned department officials to prevent cases involving students in the cleaning of toilets.”

The circular adds that students should focus solely on academic and sports activities. It highlights that the officials, head teachers, and staff bear the responsibility of keeping students away from tasks like cleaning toilets. Any lapse in this responsibility is condemned, with the involvement of students in cleaning activities termed “condemnable.”

Cleaning toilets by students, for any reason, is explicitly prohibited, and the circular stressed that such incidents should not occur in government or private aided and unaided schools.

“We have received the circular on Friday and sent it to all the block education officers in the district,” said HK Pandu, Mysuru district DDPI. He mentioned that even before the circular, oral instructions were issued to BEOs and headmasters in this regard.

The circular directs that grants allocated for toilet cleaning should be utilised in collaboration with the respective School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC), using locally available resources. Schools are instructed to be personally inspected periodically to verify the availability of separate toilets for girls and boys. Officials responsible for school in charge and supervision are directed to personally check and ensure that these toilets are accessible to students without being locked during school hours.