Why Are Students In Karnataka Being Forced To Clean Toilets? 3 Incidents Occur Within A Month

First Kolar district, then Andrahalli and now Shivamogga. Videos and photos have emerged of students in Karnataka being forced to clean toilets and septic tanks.

In the most recent video that shows an incident from last week, students of Guddada Neralakere village in Komaranahalli gram panchayat were allegedly seen cleaning toilets. The District Block Education Officer claimed that teachers and the head master had just asked the students to pour water in the toilets and not clean them.

This follows close on the heels of similar incidents across districts in Karnataka.

Andrahalli toilet cleaning incident: Student held acid bottles & cleaned toilets

In a similar incident in Bengaluru, videos of students at Government Model Higher Primary School in Andrahalli emerged of being forced to clean the school toilet. They were seen holding acid bottles and cleaning toilets.

Indian Express

After learning that the school management forced the students to clean toilets, parents staged a protest. "We learnt about the incident only after the videos of our children cleaning the toilet went viral. We are sending our children to schools to study, not clean toilets. Will the headmistress and the school authorities do the same with their children? The children were made to clean such dirty toilets with bare hands and with acid. There was no protection given to them," a parent said, as quoted by Indian Express.

Following the protests, the Block Education Officer (BEO) and police officials visited the spot and it was learned after discussions that the headmistress had forced students to clean the septic tank.

According to the police, the headmistress of Government Model Higher Primary School in Andrahalli - Lakshmidevamma - was produced before a magistrate and remanded in 14-day judicial custody at Central Prison, Bengaluru.

Kolar toilet cleaning incident: Students forced to clean toilets & pits manually

Photos of students cleaning toilets and excrement pits manually at a school in Karnataka's Kolar district went viral on December 17, as reported by India Today.

India Today

This incident involved five to six students, from class seventh to ninth, who were asked to clean the pit at Morarji Desai Residential School.

Deplorable, states CM Siddaramaiah

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said that forcing students to clean school toilets is extremely deplorable and such acts will not be tolerated.

Siddaramaiah has also advised the primary education minister that every school must have separate toilets for boys and girls and staff should be appointed to clean these toilets daily.

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