To promote child well-being and classroom comfort, School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa has announced a ban on the practice of forcing children to sit on the floor during school. The directive, which will come into force from the next academic year, applies to all primary and high schools both government and private grant-in-aid. Further, it also mandates the provision of benches for student seating in classrooms, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
Speaking to the media on December 24, Sunday, the minister said that the government will also place a ban on the cleaning of toilets by students. In this regard, he also announced an increased allocation of funds for maintaining school cleanliness.
Explaining the reason behind the decision to mandate benches at all schools, Madhu said that when he visited several schools in Belagavi, he sat with children and ate food. "I spoke to children and received feedback. Children were sitting on the floor during 'Nali Kali' class and I felt bad. I asked teachers not to wear slippers inside the classrooms till new benches arrive."
"If we have to ensure equality, students should sit on the benches and study. The government will provide benches to government schools," the minister added. The minister further said that the government will fill the group D posts to clean toilets at schools, ensuring that children are not compelled to wash the toilets.
Speaking on this, the minister said, "Forcing children to clean toilets is an inappropriate practice. While such incidents may not be widespread, they do occur in a few schools. Hence, the CM, during the recent Cabinet meeting, emphasised the need to provide more facilities to schools. The CM has also decided to fill group D posts for cleaning work," as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
