A shocking video, in which school children are seen cleaning toilets at their school, has gone viral and the school staff and officials of the Education Department are receiving brickbats over this incident. Social activists have sought action against the school teachers for misusing the children. The incident took place at Government Primary School at Nagavi village in Gadag district of Karnataka. The video shows students cleaning the toilet without wearing any protective gear.
The school was in for some bad publicity after the incident and the teachers are now claiming that they had restrained the students from washing the toilets, but the students proceeded on their own. However, the assistant cook of the school, who video-recorded the incident and put it in the public domain, complained that it was only on the instruction of the teachers that the children were cleaning the toilet and it was their once-in-a-week duty. Over this reveal, the cook is facing the wrath of the school staff. A villager said, "We have been watching this for the last few weeks and some villagers are also using the toilets and they have become public toilets. Teachers should not use students for cleaning toilets, we are observing that they have no safety equipment and the students are doing it against their will and hesitating to clean toilets."
Ramesh Kolur, a social activist, has written a letter to the deputy commissioner and Karnataka Safari Karmachari Ayoga. He said, "As per the Manual Scavenging Act 2013, nobody should be allowed to clean toilets without safety equipment, but here kids of Class VII are cleaning. It is inhumane and teachers should be punished and I request the concerned officials to take strict action."
Deputy Director of Public Instructions of G Basavalingappa said, "Though I have seen the video, I will go through the details. I have asked our officials to check on it and we will make a decision on Monday."
