A PAN card is a key document required for financial and banking transactions, while Aadhaar is a 12-digit unique identification number issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India. New Delhi: The government has announced changes to the Permanent Account Number (PAN) application process
Who will challenge D Gukesh? Vishy Anand names 3 contenders; Magnus Carlsen backs Caruana, Nakamura for Candidates 2026 Published on: Mar 18, 2026 5:34 PM IST Written by Neelav Chakravarti Share via Copy link Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen named their top contenders for the Candidates title
Stock Market Live Updates: Indian equity markets ended higher on Tuesday, with broader markets outperforming frontline indices as investors showed renewed interest in midcap and technology stocks. The NSE Nifty jumped 0.83 per cent or 196.65 points to close at 23,777.80
The automobile sector in the country may face near-term production disruptions due to constraints in industrial gas supply arising from ongoing disruptions in the energy market amid the West Asia conflict, according to a report. New Delhi: The automobile sector in the country may face near-term
A father in India has shut down the internet with a smooth Michael Jackson-style moonwalk performed in simple rubber slippers. Watch the viral video that has racked up 15 million views and left Gen Z stunned by "Uncleji's" 80s swag. Move over
Govt. tells Parliament most schools have girls’ toilets. But who will keep them clean?
Govt. tells Parliament most schools have girls’ toilets. But who will keep them clean? Premium
Across India, sanctioned posts for cleanliness workers in government schools remain largely invisible, often subsumed under vague categories such as "other staff," and hence remain mostly vacant. A question raised by Tharaniventhan M.S. from Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, during the ongoing Winter Session 2025, sought State and Union Territory-wise details of functional and non-functional girls' toilets in government schools. Responding on December 1, 2025, the Minister of State for Education, Jayant Chaudhary, cited data indicating that 94% of schools across India have fully functional girls' toilets.
State-wise figures for the construction of girls' toilets show Chandigarh, Delhi, and Goa have reported 100% coverage through the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan. On paper, the numbers are reassuring. On the ground, they raise questions like who is maintaining these toilets?
There is no publicly available comprehensive State-wise data on the posts of cleanliness workers in government schools. The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) tracks school infrastructure, toilets, drinking water, and classrooms. Datasets such as the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) focus on learning outcomes and teacher availability. The non-teaching staff, like cleanliness workers, though, remain largely untracked.
National programmes such as Swachh Bharat, Swachh Vidyalaya and Samagra Shiksha mandate water, cleanliness and hygiene (WASH) standards in schools, emphasising toilet construction, handwashing facilities and scheduled cleaning. Yet none of these frameworks clearly define or mandate sanctioned cleanliness worker posts within schools.
Cleanliness worker positions in government schools are typically managed at the State or district level, either through education departments, municipal bodies or outsourced private agencies, because there is no centralised national portal tracking vacancies, appointments or salaries.
Anecdotal and field-based evidence from areas such as Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra suggests that unfilled cleanliness posts routinely force teachers, cooks and even students to clean classrooms and toilets or to leave facilities locked, filthy and unusable.
In many States, cleaning duties are outsourced to third-party contractors who hire workers at extremely low wages, says Advocate and Right to Education (RTE) activist, Ashok Agarwal. He elaborates on one such case of Delhi's where the municipal corporation hires a third party to hire a team of cleanliness workers in Municipal Corporation of Delhi schools. “Cleanliness workers are paid ₹24,000–₹25,000 annually, roughly ₹2,000 a month, excluding break months, with no job security or formal recognition. By the time the government's allocation passes through middleman commissions or the agency overheads, the amount reaching the worker is often reduced to a pittance”, he says.
For example, a Haryana government portal listed over 1,000 ‘safai karmachari' vacancies in August 2024 under a local nigam, but none were explicitly linked to government schools, underscoring the ambiguity around responsibility.
The consequences are visible on the ground. In Pune's Panshet district, the Panshet Model Cluster School functions without a single cleanliness worker to clean classrooms or toilets. The headmistress, Ms. Shabana Khan told that she has often cleaned the classrooms herself or been forced to ask the mid-day meal cook to keep the toilets usable.
Workers associated with the Bharatiya Gram Vikas Sangh (BGVS) in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Mr. Ashok Gaikwad and Mr Kashinath, confirmed that there are no formal sanctions or State-level allocations for cleanliness workers in government schools in their regions. In Maharashtra, several government schools rely on volunteer workers or NGOs to appoint cleanliness workers, who are often paid a fixed pay of ₹2,000 to 3000 per month, depending on the number of toilets, said Gaikwad.
The government school staffing norms clearly list posts such as principal, assistant teacher, lab attendant and librarian, but there is no sanctioned post for cleanliness workers, Gaikwad said. As a result, schools are forced to hire cleaners informally or outsource the work. He added that in many schools, even basic toilet facilities are missing. “Several schools do not have toilets within the campus, or are locked or filthy. Teachers and students are forced to use nearby buildings,” he said.
Mr. Gaikwad mentioned that the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding is typically one-time in nature and cannot be used to pay salaries or recruit sanitation workers, nor can it ensure sustained water supply or long-term maintenance beyond creating basic infrastructure such as borewells and toilets.
Mr. Kashinath, who works closely with schools in Jharkhand, said that the posts for cleanliness workers are “never thought of as a needful designation because treated as secondary within the education system. He says, “The focus has always been on infrastructure, teachers, quality education, ration and other resources. Cleanliness workers were never seen as an essential part of a school.”
Despite the infrastructure figures presented in Parliament, the reality remains grim. Mr. Agarwal noted that the RTE mandates separate toilets for boys and girls in every school, additional units based on enrolment, functional handwashing facilities, and running water. He says,“Literacy or foundational education standards cannot be met through construction alone, especially when schools and systems lack human resources.”
Shanta Sinha, former Chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), said that girls' dropout is deeply rooted in social realities rather than infrastructure alone. Drawing from decades of work in education and child rights, she pointed out that girls often leave school due to early marriage, domestic responsibilities, gender-based violence, early pregnancy, poor health and restricted mobility. She says, “Education is seen as an escape from these conditions and girls go to school despite these barriers, not because systems have made it easy for them.”
While access to toilets and water is essential for dignity, Ms. Sinha cautioned against overstating infrastructure as the primary reason for girls' enrolment or retention. She argued that “disaggregated,” independent data is missing, noting that UDISE+ figures often fail to reflect ground realities. “If departments claim toilets are the reason girls attend school, that needs to be verified through surveys outside the system,” she said, adding that girls are fighting their way into education in spite of systemic neglect.
Speaking about sanitation in schools, Ms. Sinha said the practice of teachers and students cleaning classrooms has become normalised and institutionalised over time. She stressed that such systemic failures cannot be addressed through ad-hoc responses by individual headmasters or sarpanches. She argued for standardised, institutional solutions rather than leaving sanitation to local discretion.
Ms. Sinha mentioned that there is a need for investment in people, not just infrastructure, and called for an independent, accountable mechanism for the recruitment and management of cleanliness workers. “This responsibility must lie with the education department,” adding that essential functions like sanitation cannot depend on voluntary arrangements or temporary fixes.
“At community and school level, every school has faced this but who is listening?” Ms. Sinha said.
(Mantasha Ahmed is an independent journalist based in Indore with five years of experience. She reports on the critical intersections of education, civil rights, social issues, and culture.)
(Sign up for THEdge, The Hindu's weekly education newsletter.)
Published - December 19, 2025 07:30 pm IST
education / school
Source: TheHindu
Related Posts: Projects worth ₹342 cr approved for cleanliness across multiple Haryana cities With ‘Airport-Like’ Food Courts & Cleanliness Rajnath takes part in special cleanliness drive at Army Headquarters Unit Run Canteen Rajnath takes part in special cleanliness drive at Army Headquarters Unit Run Canteen Ex-CM N Biren Singh and 26 BJP MLAs in talks with central government to form Manipur government RSS workers detained for holding drill in Chennai government school Trump likely to fire ‘thousands’ of federal workers amid government shutdown ED conducts raids across six states in government jobs scam probe India seizes Iran-linked US-sanctioned tankers
Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton is the predicted winner of the Democratic primary for US Senate, edging out her opponents after a late surge of support in a highly competitive, expensive race. Stratton was leading her main opponent, congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi
1 days ago
Israel's Defense Minister Katz has announced a significant development. The Israeli military has killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. This follows yesterday's reported killings of other top Iranian security officials. More surprises are anticipated today across all fronts
1 days ago
Happy Chaitra Navratri 2026 wishes: Celebrate the divine energy of Goddess Durga with heartfelt words and blessings this Chaitra Navratri. Share these beautiful wishes, messages, and quotes to spread positivity, strength, and devotion.Happy Chaitra Navratri 2026 wishes: Celebrate the divine energy
1 days ago
Senator Markwayne Mullin, who has been tapped by US President Donald Trump to lead the Department of Homeland Security, will appear on Wednesday in front of a congressional committee. The Republican lawmaker from Oklahoma will testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
1 days ago
Given the current fuel shortage in the country and the increasing pressure on imports, the Petroleum Ministry has significantly tightened the rules for domestic gas use. Now, not only possessing a cylinder, but even having a “double” connection at home will be a crime
1 days ago
Eight members of a family were killed when a fire broke out in a three-storey house after an explosion at an Electric Vehicle (EV) charging point outside the building in Indore early on Wednesday (March 18, 2026), officials said. The deceased included two minor children and three women, they said
1 days ago
Life in Kalghatgi town and nearby villages in Dharwad district was thrown into disarray on Tuesday (March 18) evening after a sudden and intense hailstorm lashed the region. The unexpected weather event left residents panicked, forcing many to seek shelter immediately
1 days ago
Hospitals are meant to heal. Yet, for millions of patients globally, they can also become sites of new illness often preventable, often overlooked. Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) represent one of the most persistent paradoxes in modern healthcare. Even as medical technology advances
1 days ago
Dilip Ghosh, a prominent figure in the BJP, asserts that the party has successfully put Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on the defensive within her Bhabanipur stronghold. He pointed out that Suvendu Adhikari's candidacy is a tactical choice aimed at strengthening BJP's foothold
1 days ago
The Allahabad High Court on Monday said that the state must ensure that security is provided to persons facing threats for congregating to hold prayers at private properties in Uttar Pradesh, Bar and Bench reported. A bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Siddharth Nandan added that Article 25 of
1 days ago
BSEB Class 10th Result 2026: The Bihar School Examination Board will announce the 10th matric exam results on March 20, 2026, in Patna on March 20, 2026. Students are advised to keep themselves updated with their roll number and other necessary details
1 days ago
The fire and fury that is consuming the MAGA (Make America Great Again) fraternity that had rallied behind Donald J. Trump’s anti-war rhetoric for a decade touched the administration on Tuesday (March 17, 2026) when Joe Kent, a long-term acolyte
1 days ago
Kylian Mbappe vs Balance: Real Madrid’s rhythm without Frenchman turns heads as Vinicius back to his best Updated on: Mar 18, 2026 5:58 PM IST By Aditya Maheshwari Share via Copy link Real Madrid find rhythm without Kylian Mbappe. (Reuters) Beating Manchester City so convincingly is never easy
1 days ago
In television comedy shows such as The Kapil Sharma Show and Comedy Nights with Kapil, Kiku Sharda has portrayed many popular female characters, including Palak, Bumper, and Santosh. Mumbai: Actor-comedian Kiku Sharda is widely loved for slipping into multiple female avatars on-screen
1 days ago
A woman stands on a rooftop listening to the sounds of the city below. There is only the dull hum of traffic tonight. But she knows how easily that can change. It is usually the dogs who notice the sound first and begin to bark furiously. The noise of aircraft
1 days ago
In fiscal year 2026, Dell Technologies reduced its workforce by approximately 11,000 employees, representing about 10% of its staff, as detailed in its 10-K filing. The employee count decreased from 108,000 in January 2025 to nearly 97,000 by January 2026.In fiscal year 2026
1 days ago
New Delhi, Mar 18 (PTI) Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) is set to establish a uranium mining and processing plant with a capacity of 2,500 tonnes per day (TPD) at Rohil in Rajasthan’s Sikar district and Jajwal, Chhattisgarh, said Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Wednesday.New Delhi
1 days ago
India on Tuesday denied holding negotiations with Iran about releasing three vessels New Delhi had seized in February in return for the safe passage of Indian ships through the Strait of Hormuz. The denial by the Ministry of External Affairs came during an inter-ministerial press briefing on the
1 days ago
If you are an EPFO member or are associated with it, this news is for you. This is because everything—from pensions to claims and account transfers—is now becoming faster and easier than ever before. In the Lok Sabha, Shobha Karandlaje, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment
1 days ago
According to the NXT Foundation’s India Progress Report 2025-26, India has surpassed Japan with a nominal GDP of $4.8 trillion. It maintains the fastest growth rate of 8.2% in the world. New Delhi: India has overtaken Japan to become the world’s fourth-largest economy
1 days ago
Ugadi Pachadi, the traditional festive offering prepared during Ugadi, is more than just a dish; it is a symbolic representation of life itself. Known as a blend of Shadruchulu (six tastes), this special preparation holds deep cultural, spiritual, and health significance.Ugadi Pachadi
1 days ago
Nora Fatehi has addressed the controversy around her and Sanjay Dutt’s viral song Sarke Chunar, saying she was unaware of the Hindi lyrics and never approved the final version. The actor’s reaction comes after the track drew backlash for allegedly inappropriate lyrics.Explaining her side
1 days ago
Watch: Dad's moonwalk in chappals gets 17 million views, internet says 'MJ is clapping happily in his grave'A father's surprise moonwalk in chappals during his daughter's dance video has gone viral, crossing 17 million views in a day. Published on: Mar 18
1 days ago
Mumbai woman paying ₹1.2 lakh rent for Andheri West flat says she's a 'stay at home daughter', internet reactsA self-described “stay-at-home daughter” says she pays ₹1.2 lakh rent. Her viral video has sparked a discussion online. Published on: Mar 18
1 days ago
Fitness coach recommends walking after heavy meals, shares key benefits for digestion and overall healthEnsure you walk after every meal, that way your blood sugar stays stable, along with improved weight management. Published on: Mar 18, 2026 5:58 PM IST By Adrija Dey Share via Copy link After
1 days ago
In the video, the father can be seen holding his old phone, its screen damaged, with a rubber band around it, and worn out from years of use. Despite its condition, he appears to have continued using it. The son surprises him with a new smartphone
1 days ago
Uttarakhand resident Deepak Kumar has moved the High Court challenging the case against him and requesting a departmental inquiry against police officers who allegedly failed to act against hate crimes, The Indian Express reported on Wednesday. Kumar and another person booked in the matter
1 days ago
