Schools in rural areas across Tamil Nadu have not received any funds for the maintenance of toilets for two months, in some places for 10 months, in various districts across the state. This has impacted the livelihood of sanitary workers, who are yet to be paid six months of wages, apart from affecting the sanitation in the schools, stated a report in The New Indian Express.
According to data, more than 33,500 sanitary workers are employed as temporary workers in panchayat union primary and middle schools and government schools in rural areas across the state. The sanitary workers employed in primary schools are paid Rs 1,000 per month while those in middle schools and higher secondary schools are paid Rs 1,500 and Rs 3,000, respectively. It is Rs 2,250 for high schools. Apart from this, the schools are also given funds to buy toiletries.
Hear it from them
According to sources, sanitary workers have not received salaries for the past six months in many places while it goes up to ten months in a few places. Most of the sanitary workers are women and they continue to work in the schools as their children study in the schools. In other places, teachers pool in money to pay them or toilets in the schools are unusable.
According to school education department officials, sanitary workers have been paid their salaries with the help of other funds that are allocated to panchayats in districts like Tiruvallur and Tirunelveli.
"I have not been paid my salary for six months now. As my grandchildren also study in the school, I continue to work there. It would be helpful if the salaries are provided on time to us," said Pattammal (54) who works at the Panchayat Union Middle School (PUMS) in Arasur in Sathiyamangalam block.
N Sakthikumar who is part of the school management committee in the school said that despite several appeals to the officials, salaries are yet to be released.
Jothi (32), who works in a government higher secondary school in Namakkal, said that she also continues to work in the school as her daughters study there. She has to be paid for the past nine months. "I work in the school to support my family in some way. We know usually the salary usually comes late. The delay of more than nine months is affecting our livelihood," said Jothi.
Struggling to find people
Headmasters said that they are struggling to find sanitary workers as the salaries are paltry and erratic. "In some schools, teachers contribute money to pay the sanitary workers. Even then, it is difficult to find workers as they are only paid a meagre amount for cleaning the toilets twice a day," said a headmaster from Sivakasi.
Meanwhile, activists said that one of the main reasons that parents hesitate to enroll their children in government schools due to the lack of toilet facilities. "The government has to ensure clean toilets in the schools. The salaries of the sanitary workers should also be increased," said S Natraj, an activist working with tribal children in Erode.
School education department officials said that when coordinating with the districts, they learnt that districts have not received any directions from the rural development department. However, a few districts are paying with the help of other funds given to the local bodies.
