Govt's cleanliness drive makes parents wary

LUDHIANA: The human resource development ministry's 'Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalay' campaign instructing all government, aided and private schools to organize cleanliness drives has earned displeasure of some parents.
Under the scheme, each school needs to constitute a 'children's cabinet' and a 'children's council' to organize activities such as skits, street plays, debates, etc.on the importance of cleanliness. Besides this, they will be made to clean playgrounds, classrooms, stores, laboratories, toilets, kitchen and garden, etc. Some parents have objected to this as they feel cleaning schools is not the duty of their children
A parent, not wishing to be named said, "We send our kids to school to study, not clean. If you need to drive home the lesson of cleanliness, there are several other ways to do that."
Baldeep Pandher, principal of Green Land Senior Secondary Public School, Jalandhar Bypass, said, "The numbers of such parents is low and we will counsel them that such activities will help their children learn to love the environment and society."
He added that parents are the only ones to have issues with this. "Students are excited about this. Even in NSS, students clean the campus," added Pandher.
Principal of Nankana Sahib Public School, Harmeet Kaur said, "It is parents from the elite class who feel cleaning jobs are lowly. They forget that this will give their kids such an important lesson in cleanliness and hygiene."
Parent of a student from Delhi Public School, Parveen Bansal said, "Such activities are essential to make our children love our environment. I cannot understand what is wrong in cleaning a place where we live; parents should rather encourage their children."
Meanwhile, in government schools helpers will be doing the job and students will be observing.
Gurjot Singh, district education officer (elementary), said, "We cannot make students clean the school campus. Helpers will be cleaning schools and students will observe them. Making students clean classrooms is wrong. In schools that don't have class IV employees, help of panchayats, local communities, health centres and NGOs will be taken."
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I am not against it, just concerned as to what kind of work will children do. I would not want my daughter to clean toilets. They can be motivated towards cleanliness and hygiene in some other way
Monica Chopra | Resident of Rose Enclave
Students should be assisted by helpers. I am okay with my daughter picking wrappers, but I would not like to see her clean the classroom or playground with a broom
Yash Kapoor | Resident of Kochar Market