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'Nothing wrong with government school students made to clean toilets', says Khandwa DM

Bhopal: A district magistrate from Madhya Pradesh has issued an appalling statement when asked about a recent incident which surfaced from a state-run school in Khandwa. The matter concerns images and videos of school students made to clean toilets of the primary government school by the management. The visuals are now going viral on social media with questions being raised about the manner in which public schools treat students.

When questioned by a news agency about students being made to clean toilets at a primary state-run school in Khandwa, DM Tanvi Sundriya said that there is nothing wrong with students being 'given practical education on cleanliness in schools'. The shocking statement is worrisome keeping in light strides made by the Madhya Pradesh government in recent months to improve the education ecosystem.

However, this is not the first such instance to have been reported from a state-run school in India. In July of this year, six girl students of the Kasturba Gandhi Residential school in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki fled the institution after they were ordered to clean toilets and utensils. After they were tracked down and returned to the school, the girls alleged that the warden makes them wash utensils and toilets.

 

 

Similarly, the video of a government school teacher getting a food massage from a student at a state-run school in Bihar's Latehar district was being widely shared on social media in July of this year. Once the matter garnered public attention, the students alleged that the teacher in question even made them clean toilets. Once parents confronted the school with complaints against him, the teacher accepted his mistake and vowed not to repeat them.

Institutions of higher education have also managed to get themselves embroiled in similar controversies. A notable case from May of this year comes to mind where two research scholars of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) had accused a professor of forcing them to clean toilets and passing casteist remarks. A panel was formed by the Vice-Chancellor to probe the allegations.

Keeping in mind the most recent instance which has come to light from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh, it is imperative for top local officials to not only comprehend but also propagate the importance of a public education system which aims to provide a near-ideal environment for students. If top officials such as a district magistrate feel that students being made to clean toilets instead of studying is the new normal, it would not be entirely unfair to state that the country is heading towards an age of negligence.

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