The SDMC Coordination Committee has strongly advised officials against sending government school children to village-level cleanliness drives. This decision follows controversy surrounding the Uppinangady Panchayat Development Officer’s choice to involve only government school children in a cleanliness event organized on January 31 within the Gram Panchayat limits. The move sparked outrage among parents.
Mohiuddin Kutty, President of the SDMC Coordination Committee, expressed concerns to TOI about the practice, highlighting that when teachers conduct similar drives on school campuses, they face criticism, which violates regulations. He pointed out the inconsistency of using children, particularly from government schools, for such programs organized by local panchayats. Kutty questioned why only government school children were selected for these initiatives while children from private schools were excluded.
Taking Uppinangady as an example, Kutty mentioned that there are five private schools in the area, with an enrollment of over 3,000 children. However, only government school students were asked to attend the cleanliness drive. The invitation sent to the schools requested participation in a half-day event, but Kutty questioned why children from government schools should lose academic time for this activity.
He also mentioned that he had prevented primary school children from participating, though high school students did take part. The committee is considering filing a formal complaint with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights regarding the Panchayat officer’s directive.
Govinda Madivala, DDPI of Dakshina Kannada, confirmed that following the Uppinangady issue, the Block Education Officer (BEO) was instructed not to send children to such drives, emphasizing that the government itself prohibits children from engaging in manual labor.
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