Govt school students in Karnataka forced to clean toilets, headmistress suspended

BENGALURU: Close on the heels of an incident in Kolar where school students were ‘forced’ to clean the soak pit, another incident of pupils being allegedly asked to clean toilets at a government school here has come to light.

In a viral video, some of the students were purportedly seen cleaning the toilet at Andrahalli in the city. Following the incident, parents of students expressed outrage and staged a protest outside the school campus demanding strict action against its administration.

Acting swiftly, the education department suspended the headmistress of the school, officials said.

Reacting to the incident, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar told reporters here that he has called a meeting to inquire about the incident and assured strict action in the matter. “There was another similar incident in the past and we have taken legal action against it,” he said.

Noting that children should be raised properly and made strong, Shivakumar said there are arrangements to clean toilets in schools.

“We shouldn’t misuse the children. Earlier NSS, Seva Dal camps used to give training for kids to clean the garden, planting the saplings but we haven’t given anyone permission to rope in children for cleaning the toilets,” he pointed out.

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister condemned the incident and termed it ‘shocking’ and ‘deplorable’.

Earlier this month, the principal and two staff members of a school in Kolar district were suspended over allegations that some students were made to clean the soak pit on its premises.