Shortage of funds and non-availability of cleaning staff has resulted in children being forced to clean toilets in many government schools across Karnataka, allege stakeholders. As a result, toilets in most schools are being cleaned only two or three times in a month.
The issue is back in focus following incidents of students being forced to clean school toilets. One case was reported from Malur in Kolar district and another from Andrahalli in Bengaluru city.
This is despite the Department of School Education and Literacy (DSEL) revising the sum for maintenance of government schools to a maximum of ₹45,000 per annum in September 2023, depending on the number of students.