In Bengaluru, the Karnataka government has issued a directive cautioning schools about assigning students the task of cleaning toilets within the school premises. A circular released on December 28 specifies that school heads could face FIRs if they fail to comply with this government order.
The Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) emphasized that students should primarily engage in academic pursuits, sports, and extracurricular activities. The responsibility of preventing students from participating in activities like toilet cleaning rests with teachers and school development and monitoring committees.
Furthermore, the circular strongly criticized recent incidents where children were made to clean school toilets, deeming such actions inappropriate and unacceptable. The government has taken a serious view of the matter.
To ensure cleanliness and hygiene, the department has provided various guidelines to schools regarding the maintenance of their toilets and urinals. Specifically, the circular explicitly prohibits students in government primary, secondary, and high schools from engaging in any form of toilet cleaning.
The release of maintenance grants to schools has already occurred, with a stipulation for their phased utilization in coordination with SDMCs. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will lead to disciplinary measures against all involved parties, including the filing of FIRs, as warned by the DSEL in the circular.
The circular also mandates that education officials carry out regular monitoring visits to schools to inspect washroom facilities. It emphasizes that toilets should remain accessible during school hours and warns of consequences for officials found guilty of errors or negligence.
