A video grab of a boy cleaning the toilet in a government school.
Credit: Special arrangement
The headmistress of a government school in Bengaluru was suspended on Friday after videos showing uniform-clad students cleaning toilets led to a protest by parents.
It is said that students of the Government Model Higher Primary School at Andrahalli in Yeshwantpur were made to clean toilets daily.
Parents visited the school and recorded videos of children cleaning toilets on Thursday, followed by a protest on Friday.
This incident came just days after students were made to clean a septic tank at another state-run school in Kolar.
As shared by the children and parents, headmistress Lakshmi Devamma used to ask the children every day to clean the toilets by offering them toffees and sweets.
“We were asked to clean the toilets for the last few months,” said a student.
Another student said that they were not provided with gloves or slippers.
“Every morning the teacher used to ask us who will clean the toilet for the day and we used to clean them with bleaching powder and phenyl. No gloves or slippers were provided,” stated the student.
The video of children cleaning the toilets went viral, following which officials and leaders from various political parties visited the school and met the students.
The Department of School Education and Literacy suspended the 53-year-old headmistress based on BEO’s report.
In the suspension order, the Deputy Director of the Department Bengaluru North reads: “Following the protest staged by parents, the BEO had visited the school and during the verification, the allegation against the teacher who made children clean toilets was proven. Hence, we have issued an order suspending the headmistress, pending departmental inquiry.”
School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said, there is no question of tolerating such behaviour by teachers.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Home Minister G Parameshwara also expressed outrage.
Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka attacked the Congress government and said this shows the government is not active. “According to our information, the School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) has been non-existent for the last few months and that is the main reason for not having a non-teaching staff at the school. The state is witnessing such incidents repeatedly and it shows how incapable the government is,” Ashoka said.
Meanwhile, on Friday, another video emerged showing students of a government school in Srigandhada Kaval carrying mid-day meal food carriers.