Delhi: Four students clean trash, notice to MCD school

Two children dressed in school uniform can be seen picking up the filth using mattocks while two others are seen collecting it in a sack right outside the school’s main gate.

A showcause notice has been issued to the principal of a South MCD school after a video emerged purportedly showing children picking up garbage and filth that had accumulated near a drain outside the primary school in Kishangarh.

In the purported video, two children dressed in school uniform can be seen picking up the filth using mattocks while two others are seen collecting it in a sack right outside the school’s main gate.

Referring to the video, Leader of the Opposition in South MCD Kishan Wati claimed, “The video makes it very apparent that sanitation workers left the silt at the school gate and the children were asked to clean it.” She claimed the video had been shot by people living in the area, and is less than a week old.

“On one hand, the corporation talks about giving free bags, uniforms and providing world-class facilities like CCTVs at its schools. But they do not even have sanitation staff to get them cleaned,” she said. “What will our students aspire to be by studying in these schools? Will they ever be able to compete with students of private schools if their morale will be pushed down like this?”

South body education department director Shirish Sharma said that after the video was brought to his notice, he issued a showcause notice to the school principal and two other officials of the zone.

Education committee chairperson Nandini Sharma said the video was shown to her after the house meeting concluded on Friday, and she has asked for a report from the school.

While the North body has 765 schools under its jurisdiction, the East has 365 and the South 581. Municipal schools provide education till Class V, mostly to students from economically weaker backgrounds, after which students migrate to schools under the Delhi government.

In September 2017, pictures of children sweeping floors and cleaning garbage with brooms in some municipal schools under the North and East civic bodies had angered the Delhi High Court, which had asked, “Is there any teaching taking place in the schools? Shall we call the students here? You teach them like this? Children are carrying brooms in their hands. Shall we order inspection?”

“How come the premises are so dirty. What about the toilets?” the bench had asked officials and an MCD school principal who were present in the courtroom.

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