Karnataka govt asks local agencies to appoint housekeeping staff to state-run schools
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Asking students to wash school toilets has triggered controversy several times in the past. The latest was when two teachers in a southwest Bengaluru school were booked by Begur police for making two students wash toilets in April. The department is said to have warned teachers and headmasters not to engage children in this activity. The pertinent issue is that it's mostly kids from certain castes who are picked for the task.
"We'll soon issue a circular. Chief executive officers of zilla panchayats can appoint local agencies for housekeeping at a cluster level. These people will be in charge of cleaning toilets," said Trilok Chandra, commissioner, department of school education and literacy.
Karnataka State Primary School Teachers' Association had sought an intervention in this regard. "We met department officials and the chief secretary and raised the issue.
We hope it will be resolved soon," said association president Chandrashekhar Nugli.
"Even though the Gandhian principle is to clean one's own toilet, the issue in govt schools is that it is only a specific group of children asked to do this task. It is not possible to ask teachers to take up this work even though they also use the toilets, as they have their hands full," said Niranjanaradhya VP, an educationist.
"This is a welcome move, but I'm worried about its sustainability.
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Local bodies have fund constraints themselves even though they have been allotted various duties and responsibilities. Other challenges could be a lack of running water in schools. The question is how to overcome these challenges," he added.
BOX
Directive to head teachers
The department of school education and literacy has asked headmasters of schools to take precautionary measures to ensure the safety of children in schools. All headmasters are to check some basic points on a daily basis and update them on the School Achievement Tracking System (SATS) to prevent mishaps on campus. This includes checking foodgrains, safety measures regarding cylinders, water sumps, availability of teachers, infrastructure for children with disabilities, and CCTV coverage.
If there are any lapses, the school's head teacher will be held responsible.
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