Teacher's suspension over kids cleaning toilet: Congress MLC Puttanna warns of protest

Bengaluru: Congress MLC Puttanna has threatened to launch a protest against his own party’s government.

In a letter to Minister for School Education and Literacy Madhu Bangarappa, the senior MLC raised objection to the suspension of a government school teacher in Ramanagar, who made students clean toilets. 

As a protest, Puttanna has decided to enter the office of the chief executive officer (CEO) of Ramanagar (Bengaluru South) Zilla Panchayat (ZP) on June 17, with toilet cleaning material, demanding that ZP officials clean school toilets in the entire district.

“I condemn the suspension of a teacher who made children clean school toilets. Some wrong rules of the government have created a situation where teachers are forced to do everything, except teaching. Protesting this, I will give brooms, buckets, hand gloves, phenyl, soap, brush and other material required to clean toilets in all schools in Bengaluru South district to the ZP CEO, asking him to clean toilets in all schools in the district himself. Teachers of all government/aided/unaided schools in the district will take part in the protest,” Puttanna
said. 

Citing the shortage of teachers in government schools and unavailability of cleaning staff, he said, “There are teachers who are cleaning toilets and also managing teaching.”

“When we were students, we used to clean toilets and school premises. It was part of curricular activity,” the MLC said. 

“The maintenance funds given for government schools is not enough for anything. I will rise this issue in the upcoming legislature session,” he added.

What happened?

On June 6, during his visit to a government school in Ramanagar, the ZP CEO noticed children cleaning toilets and communicated the same to the deputy director of public instruction (DDPI), who in turn suspended the teacher for dereliction of duty, citing the recent department circular which clearly mentions about action against teachers in case kids are made to clean toilets.