<p>Bengaluru: A section of lawmakers, including Speaker UT Khader, triggered a debate in the Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday by suggesting that schoolchildren should be made to clean classrooms and toilets in order to make them hygiene-conscious. </p><p>School Education & Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said he would welcome this if the Assembly agreed to legislate on this issue. </p><p>This came up during a discussion on the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) (Amendment) Bill, which was passed. </p><p>“Schools don't have sweepers. Children are made to clean the school premises. Parents complain if children are made to do it. So, the government should hire Group ‘D’ workers. Otherwise, provide permission for children to do it themselves,” JD(S) floor leader CB Suresh Babu said. </p>.Karnataka's dairy brand Nandini joins RCB as official partner for IPL 2026.<p>Khader concurred with this. “In my opinion, it’s alright for schoolchildren to clean classrooms. All of us, even in the convent system, had to clean our ground and classrooms, even toilets, at 7 am daily,” he said. “So, either hire Group ‘D’ workers or make children do it,” he said. </p><p>Tirthahalli BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra cited Mahatma Gandhi’s example. “Gandhi himself cleaned toilets. Are our kids bigger than Gandhi? Let them do it. Let them learn. We’ve done it, too,” he said. </p><p>Tumkur Rural BJP MLA Suresh Gowda gave Finland’s example. “There, children do everything - from cleaning to fixing light bulbs. We need to adopt this model, which is being followed in other Indian states, too,” he said. </p><p>Madhu, the minister, urged the Assembly to make a law. “There are child rights. We can’t go beyond child rights,” he said. To this, Khader said: “Then include this (cleaning) under skill development.”</p><p><strong>Kannada vs English: MLAs spar</strong></p><p>Congress members KM Shivalinge Gowda and Basavaraj Rayareddi verbally quarrelled in the Assembly over the medium of instruction in schools. While Gowda said children must learn English in order to progress, Rayareddi said kids taught in Kannada were no less. </p><p>“We should ban English education. We shouldn’t be slaves of English,” Rayareddi said. Gowda hit back: “Then why did you learn English? If you didn’t know English, would you have become the CM’s economic advisor?”</p>
<p>Bengaluru: A section of lawmakers, including Speaker UT Khader, triggered a debate in the Karnataka Assembly on Tuesday by suggesting that schoolchildren should be made to clean classrooms and toilets in order to make them hygiene-conscious. </p><p>School Education & Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said he would welcome this if the Assembly agreed to legislate on this issue. </p><p>This came up during a discussion on the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) (Amendment) Bill, which was passed. </p><p>“Schools don't have sweepers. Children are made to clean the school premises. Parents complain if children are made to do it. So, the government should hire Group ‘D’ workers. Otherwise, provide permission for children to do it themselves,” JD(S) floor leader CB Suresh Babu said. </p>.Karnataka's dairy brand Nandini joins RCB as official partner for IPL 2026.<p>Khader concurred with this. “In my opinion, it’s alright for schoolchildren to clean classrooms. All of us, even in the convent system, had to clean our ground and classrooms, even toilets, at 7 am daily,” he said. “So, either hire Group ‘D’ workers or make children do it,” he said. </p><p>Tirthahalli BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra cited Mahatma Gandhi’s example. “Gandhi himself cleaned toilets. Are our kids bigger than Gandhi? Let them do it. Let them learn. We’ve done it, too,” he said. </p><p>Tumkur Rural BJP MLA Suresh Gowda gave Finland’s example. “There, children do everything - from cleaning to fixing light bulbs. We need to adopt this model, which is being followed in other Indian states, too,” he said. </p><p>Madhu, the minister, urged the Assembly to make a law. “There are child rights. We can’t go beyond child rights,” he said. To this, Khader said: “Then include this (cleaning) under skill development.”</p><p><strong>Kannada vs English: MLAs spar</strong></p><p>Congress members KM Shivalinge Gowda and Basavaraj Rayareddi verbally quarrelled in the Assembly over the medium of instruction in schools. While Gowda said children must learn English in order to progress, Rayareddi said kids taught in Kannada were no less. </p><p>“We should ban English education. We shouldn’t be slaves of English,” Rayareddi said. Gowda hit back: “Then why did you learn English? If you didn’t know English, would you have become the CM’s economic advisor?”</p>
