Sidlaghatta, 30 Jan

A video showing two students cleaning toilets in a government school in Chikkaballapur district has gone viral, triggering uproar online.

The headmistress of Government Higher Primary School in Sidlaghatta taluk’s Kuduvakote was suspended. Reportedly, the headmistress forced a class 5 girl student to clean the toilet on Tuesday. A parent who was visiting the school took a video of the incident and sent it to Education Department officials including Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa. Block Educational officer Narendra along with Taluk Social Welfare officers questioned the students on Wednesday following which the headmistress Renukamma was suspended.

The school has 27 students and three teachers including the headmistress. This is the fourth such incident in the state in two months.

The previous incidents include students being sent down toilet pits in Kolar at the Yelavalli Morarji Desai Residential School, and self-cleaning duties enforced at Andarahalli Government School in Bengaluru. Each incident has sparked outrage and calls for immediate action.

The surge in such incidents also prompted the Karnataka Department of Public Education to issue an order banning government schools from forcing students to clean toilets.It also warned of disciplinary and criminal action against offenders. The department has clarified that students can be engaged "only in academic, sports, and co-curricular activities" and not for cleaning toilets.