Hyderabad: BRS MLC K. Kavitha has hit out at the Congress government for stripping sanitation staff from Telangana’s social welfare residential schools, forcing students to take on cleaning duties in what she called a “gross violation of dignity and child rights.”
Reacting to disturbing reports from the Bhikkanur Gurukul school in Kamareddy, where a watchman died cleaning a water tank and another was severely injured, Kavitha said the situation exposed a larger crisis in the 240-odd government-run residential institutions.
“Until last August, each school had a monthly sanitation budget of ₹40,000 under BRS governance, employing four temporary staff for cleaning toilets, classrooms, and surroundings,” she said. “Now, with that provision scrapped, students are being made to handle all cleaning jobs – from toilets to outdoor maintenance.”
She accused the Congress government of not only eliminating 1,200 essential jobs – including 240 assistant caretakers and wardens – but also of normalising what she called “institutionalised exploitation” of underprivileged children. “These children are not your labour force,” she declared.
MLC Kavitha condemned officials who defended the move as a way to “teach dignity of labour,” saying there’s a world of difference between instilling respect for work and compelling children to clean toilets daily. “Would you ask your own children to scrub school toilets every day?” she asked.
Citing caste discrimination, Kavitha said, “These are not kids from posh homes. These are largely SC children studying in welfare hostels meant to give them a leg-up in life. Instead, they’re being dragged into a system that reeks of caste-based neglect and exploitation.”
She slammed a senior IAS officer’s remarks that children should learn to serve themselves, calling it “outrageous and deeply casteist.” The very purpose of these schools, she said, was to protect marginalised children from social stigma – not entrench it through institutional neglect.
“The government claims it wants to create jobs but on the ground it is sacking critical workers and loading their duties onto students. This is not just misgovernance, it’s a betrayal,” MLC Kavitha said.
Calling for the immediate reinstatement of assistant caretakers and sanitation staff, she demanded that maintenance funds be restored to schools without delay. “Welfare hostels should be symbols of equality, not centres of discrimination,” she warned.
Congress government’s anti-poor attitude is reflected in this shocking behaviour by an official, at Social Welfare Gurukul Society.
The evidence of which is available in the audio clip !!
Each social welfare school was granted Rs 40,000 per month during the BRS rule for hiring… pic.twitter.com/GcDfgKHXBl
— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) May 28, 2025