A disturbing incident has come to light at the Tungalapadu Government Model School in Miryalaguda Mandal, where students were allegedly forced to cut down and relocate trees under the guise of a Clean and Green programme. The incident has sparked outrage among parents and various student organisations.

According to reports, students from Class 9 and 10 were made to chop down fully grown trees, originally planted under the Haritha Haram greening initiative within the school premises, and then moved to another location, stated a report by The New Indian Express.

This exploitation of students, who should be focused on their studies, has drawn sharp criticism.

N Ajay, District Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, filed a formal complaint on Thursday, July 3, with the District Education Officer and the Labor Officer, demanding an immediate inquiry and action against those responsible.

He highlighted that the school, an ideal institution, was selected for the central government's PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme.

For the 2024-2025 academic year, the school received approximately Rs 13,50,000 for its development.

Ajay stated that it is deeply regrettable that such labour-intensive tasks, which should be undertaken by paid workers using government funds, were instead assigned to students.

He further emphasised the injustice of making students, dressed in their school uniforms, perform manual labour instead of attending English medium classes.

He urged higher authorities to take stringent action against those accountable for this incident.

In response to the allegations, Miryalaguda Mandal Education Officer Balu Nayak stated that an investigation into the matter has been launched. He assured that a report would be submitted to the authorities based on the findings of the inquiry, according to the report by The New Indian Express.

The incident raises serious concerns about child labour and the proper utilisation of government funds in educational institutions.