Tamil Nadu probe ordered after Class 8 girl allegedly made to sweep school floor

 The Tamil Nadu School Education Department has ordered an inquiry after a video allegedly showed a 13-year-old Class 8 student being made to sweep the floor of a kindergarten classroom at a government-aided school in Shanarpatti near Natham in Dindigul district.

The incident reportedly took place on Monday when housekeeping staff were unavailable at the school, which has more than 400 students and 11 teachers.

Student allegedly asked to clean classroom

According to sources, Class 8 students were allegedly asked to sweep the kindergarten classroom in the absence of housekeeping staff.

A parent later confronted school teachers over the incident. The school's headmistress reportedly said the girl had cleaned the floor voluntarily and denied that she had been pressured by teachers.

However, another parent recorded the incident and shared the video on social media. The video subsequently went viral, triggering concerns over students being assigned cleaning duties.

Education officials begin inquiry

The School Education Department has now initiated an investigation into the allegations.

Dindigul Chief Education Officer K Selvakumar said the District Education Officer (DEO) would inspect the school and speak to the teachers and the student.

“We have lodged an inquiry into the matter. The District Education Officer will be inspecting the school and investigating issues with school teachers and also the student. Based on the report, appropriate action will be taken,” he said.

The department is expected to take further action after the inquiry report establishes the circumstances surrounding the incident.