Govt asks schools to give report on campus hygiene

Delhi government’s education department has directed all the schools in the capital to file an action taken report (ATR) on the status of cleanliness and hygiene on their respective campuses by Wednesday.

All the schools have been informed that after December 10 (Thursday), Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia, School Management Committee (SMC) teams and senior officers of the department will begin inspections of schools across Delhi. Strict action will be taken against the defaulters, which can include suspension from service and initiation of departmental proceedings as per rules.

The deadline to schools is a part of the department’s ongoing drive to keep the schools clean.

“The drive has yielded positive results, and needs to be continued with vigour. Delhi government will treat it as a long term measure and all schools have been advised that this cleanliness drive now be made a part of their official routines on their respective campuses,” said a statement by the government.

 Schools have been asked to upload the information on the ‘Swachhta’ page at the department’s website.

“Since more than a year, the department has been making efforts to keep the schools neat and clean, right from Swachh Vidyalaya Swachh Delhi Abhiyan (from October 2 2014) to the latest Swachh Delhi Campaign. No doubt, since then, teachers and heads of schools along with active participation of children have done a lot of work and sanitary conditions in many schools have changed visibly, resulting in significant improvement in the overall ambience of the schools,” the statement said.

 “The Delhi government is of the considered view that it is no less than a sin to force children to sit in dirty classes and complacently watch them playing on unclean grounds/verandahs where there is filth and rubbish,” it said.