Who's Cleaning Rajasthan's Schools? Staff Shortages and Budget Deficits Leave Students and Helpers to Tackle the Task

Jaipur- For nearly four decades, government schools in Rajasthan have been operating without adequate Class IV employees, leading to hygiene issues and the exploitation of temporary staff and students.

The last major recruitment of support staff was in 1984, and since then, no new appointments have been made, leaving primary and middle schools particularly vulnerable due to the absence of any budget allocation for cleaning and maintenance.

In the absence of permanent support staff, schools have relied on temporary solutions, employing cook-cum-helpers and panchayat assistants on meager honorariums.

These workers are responsible for a wide range of tasks, from cleaning and cooking to assisting with administrative duties, yet they receive only Rs 2006 per month—approximately Rs 67.83 per day—far below the approved wage of Rs 369 per day for unskilled workers.

Arun Vyas, joint secretary of Rajasthan Shikshak Sangh Siyaram, shared the plight with The Mooknayak. He said, "The lack of permanent support staff has led to instances where students are forced to perform cleaning tasks, detracting from their education."

Currently, the reliance on temporary alternative arrangements for support staff has been placed on the dependents of deceased state employees for many decades.

The recruitment process for support staff took place in 1984, and since then, no appointments have been made for the vacant positions. In primary and middle schools, no positions for cleaning staff have been approved.

Numerous cases of children being forced into labor are pending with the State Education Directorate. Moreover, there is no budget for cleaning in primary and middle schools, whereas higher secondary schools are allocated an annual budget of Rs 5000 per year, which is insufficient.

"With a yearly budget of only five thousand rupees, it's nearly impossible to maintain cleanliness. Just imagine trying to buy phenyl, brooms, and mops with such a small amount. Higher secondary schools receive this insufficient budget, while primary and middle schools have no budget for cleaning at all," Sarita Nagori, (pseudo name) a third-grade teacher in Rajsamand, told The Mooknayak.

Pushpraj Singh, (pseudo name) a senior teacher in Dungarpur, highlights that teachers are compelled to oversee the school cleaning mechanism due to the lack of budgetary provisions. He emphasizes that at times, they are even required to cover miscellaneous expenses from their own pockets, which the department neglects to provide for.

Full Day Work, But No Permanent Employment

In the absence of permanent support staff, schools have relied on temporary solutions, employing cook-cum-helpers.

From one hour before the school opens, these cook-cum-helpers are responsible for a wide range of tasks: cleaning, filling water, sweeping, cleaning toilets, preparing and distributing hot milk during the morning assembly, washing glasses, preparing and distributing meals according to the menu, cleaning the dining hall again, transmitting mail and order registers, ringing the school bells, arranging tea and snacks for the staff, and finally locking up each classroom and ensuring the security of the school throughout the night.

All these responsibilities fall on the cook-cum-helpers because no positions for Class IV employees are sanctioned. Essentially, they perform the work of peons but do not even receive the wages of unskilled laborers. This amounts to blatant exploitation by the state government.

Despite their extensive workload, their pay is often delayed, forcing school principals to sometimes cover the costs from their own pockets.

Teachers' unions have repeatedly called for the creation of permanent support staff positions to ensure the proper functioning of schools. They argue that without these positions, the quality of education and student well-being are severely compromised.

In newly upgraded higher secondary schools, the situation is critical, with 22,000 schools lacking proper sanitation arrangements due to the absence of sanctioned support staff posts.

Union representatives are urging the state government to address these long-standing issues by filling existing vacancies and sanctioning new posts in primary and middle schools.

They also demand that the current cook-cum-helpers and panchayat assistants be made permanent employees, with appropriate wages and benefits. This is seen as essential for maintaining basic hygiene and operational standards in schools across Rajasthan.

The absence of support staff positions in most newly upgraded higher secondary schools has resulted in the breakdown of sanitation systems across 22,000 schools.

While some higher secondary schools have sanctioned positions, the recruitment process has not been initiated for years, leaving 14,000 peon positions vacant. If new support staff positions are approved for primary and middle schools, the total number of required positions statewide could reach 123,876:

• 69,824 in primary schools

• 17,982 in higher primary schools

• 22,000 in newly upgraded higher secondary schools

• 14,000 vacant positions in older higher secondary schools

Teacher Union leaders have urged the state government to address this issue urgently and provide relief to staff and students across schools in Rajasthan. They emphasized that the state government's failure to create positions for Class IV employees in all government primary, middle, and higher secondary schools for over four decades is concerning.

They demand for new positions be permanently sanctioned and that the process of permanently filling vacant positions in higher secondary schools begin promptly.

Alternatively, they call for necessary directives to be issued to make the currently employed cook-cum-helpers permanent, ensuring that they receive initial minimum guaranteed honorarium 369 rs/day payment based on the price index. This demand is seen as legitimate and crucial for improving the functioning of schools in Rajasthan.