COIMBATORE: A ninth class girl of a private school near Podanur-Chettipalyam in suburbs of Coimbatore petitioned the district collector here demanding action against the school for forcing the students to clean toilet.
Marimuthu, 43, an eatery owner came to district collector’s office along with his 14-year old daughter and handed over a petition to the collector, T.N. Hariharan demanding action against the school forcing her daughter to clean the toilet and penalising students for speaking in Tamil.
The affected girl told Deccan Chronicle that in the name of clean environment and ‘Clean India’ campaign, the school administration forces the students studying in classes eight and nine demanding them to clean the toilets and washbasins.
Students who refused were being fined with Rs 300 to Rs 500 per student, she cried.
“A group of 26 students from our class were asked to clean to toilet last week and when the students refused, they were beaten by the class teacher,” the girl in an emotionally choked voice explained.
Three students fainted while cleaning the toilet and were punished by the teachers claiming that they were pretending as if fainted.
The school does not provide clean drinking water and has no sanitary worker claimed the student who also showed a bottle filled with contaminated water brought from the school.
“I was infected and suffered from fever after remaining inside the stinking toilet, teachers fined me Rs 500 despite producing doctor’s certificate after taking leave,” the girl said.
“I was also fined Rs 300 for speaking with my friend in my mother tongue,” she lamented. The school also threatened the parents saying that they would give TCs for the students immediately if they raised the issue, added Marimuthu, the father of the helpless child.
