Hyderabad: The Telangana Human Rights Commission here has directed the Principal Secretary, School Education Department and the District Educational Officer (DEO), Hyderabad, to submit reports on the disciplinary action against responsible officials who allegedly have been making students in various government schools to sweep, dispose garbage and perform other menial tasks.
The reports were sought by TGHRC member Sivadi Praveena, who took Suo Motu cognizance based on a news report published in the Telugu daily Namasthe Telangana, which stated that school officials have been allegedly making children do the physical and labour intensive work in violation of rules and due to non-availability of sweepers.
According to a statement from the TGHRC, the Principal Secretary and DEO have been asked to submit “detailed, factual and action-taken reports on the availability of sweepers, preventive measures, disciplinary action against responsible officials, and steps to ensure strict compliance with child protection laws, and has posted the matter for reports..”
The matter will be next heard on February 24. According to the TGHRC, the students have also allegedly met with “instances of threats and physical punishment for refusal”, which it said amounts to serious violations of child rights and statutory protections under the Right to Education Act, 2009, and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
