Students made to clean toilets in Dombivli school; KDMC to probe

A social activist has filed a complaint with the education department of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) after it came to light that students of a civic

A social activist has filed a complaint with the education department of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) after it came to light that students of a civic school in Dombivli (East) were being made to clean the school’s toilets.

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When social worker Sujata Chavan visited the civic school last week, she noticed that a few students were cleaning the toilets. She immediately took some photos and videos before approaching the principal who told her that the school was facing a shortage of sanitation staff for the past eight years.

“I was shocked to notice the children using brooms and mops to clean the washrooms at the civic school. When questioned, they said that they do it almost every other day. I immediately took some photos and videos and approached the school staff. They behaved casually and said they have been struggling without sanitation workers for a few years. It seems as if there is no one to look after these children; they cannot be made to slog like this as it is equivalent to child labour,” said Chavan.

She later approached the education department of the KDMC and filed a complaint against the school’s administration.

“We have received a complaint about the students being made to clean school toilets. We have asked for an inquiry into the same based on which a decision will be taken next week,” said Milind Dhat, assistant municipal commissioner, education, KDMC.

“It is wrong to make students clean the toilets. They are there for education and just because they are civic school students and come from financially-weak backgrounds does not mean they can be made to work like these. Already the educational quality of the KDMC is dismal; such incidents are a blot to the civic body and pop up time and again,” said Sarita More, an education activist.