Social activist Beltur Paramesh has lodged a formal complaint with both the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the Education Department, demanding action against the teacher and headmistress involved. Paramesh has also submitted a video as evidence to the authorities.
The complaint calls for strict disciplinary measures against the school personnel responsible for forcing students to engage in such tasks. Paramesh has urged the authorities to hold the teacher and headmistress accountable for the distress caused to the students.
The Education Department’s stance on this matter has been firm for some time, following multiple incidents in the past. Despite numerous warnings, the issue continues to recur, leading to growing concern within the authorities.
On March 26, the Education Department issued a categorical order stating that any incident involving students being forced to clean toilets would lead to the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against the responsible teachers or school staff.
The School Education Commissioner issued instructions to all government primary and secondary schools to ensure that such practices were eradicated.
The recent case is not an isolated incident, as earlier examples have also drawn public outrage. In December 2023, the principal of Morarji Desai Residential School in Kolar’s Malur taluk and other staff members were arrested after a video surfaced showing students cleaning a septic tank in the presence of school officials.
Additionally, in the second week of December, a headmistress in another state-run school in Bengaluru was detained for allegedly instructing students to clean the school toilets.
The Education Department’s latest directive highlighted the repeated disregard for previous instructions, calling for serious consequences this time.
The Commissioner’s order underscored that any such incidents would not be tolerated, and that all concerned officers within the Education Department, as well as headmasters and headmistresses of government schools, would be held directly responsible for permitting such actions.
“The department takes this issue very seriously,” stated the Commissioner in the order. “If such incidents are reported, strict action will be taken, including filing FIRs and initiating disciplinary proceedings against the responsible personnel.”
It remains to be seen what actions the Education Department will take in response to this latest incident. The recurring nature of these cases suggests systemic issues within certain schools, highlighting the urgent need for more stringent enforcement of existing policies.
The authorities are now under increasing pressure to address the problem and ensure that students are not exploited in this manner. With the latest complaint lodged, the public is eagerly awaiting the department’s next steps.