School Inquiry After Parents Say Kids Cleaned Toilets

Parents in Coimbatore are worried because they say students in Class V were made to clean school toilets. An official investigation is now happening. This is not the first time such a thing has been reported in Tamil Nadu.
By Newsroom | Education, India |

Troubling Claims Emerge from Thottipalayam School

Parents have come forward with serious allegations that students in Class V at a school in Thottipalayam, Coimbatore, were made to clean toilets. One parent stated they only learned of the situation after repeated inquiries about their child's absence. The child then revealed that they, along with four other Class V students, were allegedly assigned this task on a rotating basis. Parents have described this as an act of child abuse and potential caste-based discrimination. This matter has led to an official inquiry being ordered, with parents and village leaders reportedly confronting the headmistress, who has denied the accusations.

Background and Events

Reports indicate a video circulating on social media features a mother detailing similar claims, asserting her son cleaned the toilet every two days for several months under the headmistress's directive. It's also suggested a separate attendance log existed for this chore.

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Sources confirm that parents, accompanied by the village head, visited the school on a Friday to question the headmistress. However, the headmistress is reported to have denied asking students to clean the toilets, stating she only instructed them to wash their legs after using the facilities.

This situation is not isolated. In January 2025, a principal was suspended in Tamil Nadu after a video emerged showing students cleaning school toilets. Protests by enraged parents followed, with concerns raised about students being too tired for homework due to cleaning duties. Additionally, in December 2022, a headmistress in Perundurai was suspended for allegedly forcing students to clean the institution's toilets. More recently, in July 2025, a video surfaced showing students cleaning toilets at a Panchayat Union Primary School in Pudukkottai, leading to an inquiry and the subsequent suspension of the headmistress, identified as Kala. Investigations in Pudukkottai were reportedly initiated even before the video widely circulated on social media.

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Evidence Presented

  • Parental Accounts: Multiple parents have come forward alleging their children, in Class V, were made to clean toilets on a rotational basis.

  • One mother claims her son cleaned toilets every two days for months.

  • Another parent mentioned students felt tired and couldn't do homework due to cleaning responsibilities.

  • Alleged Video Evidence: A video circulating on social media purportedly shows a mother detailing her child's involvement in cleaning toilets and the existence of a separate attendance register. Other reports mention videos showing students, dressed in uniform, holding brooms and cleaning toilets. Footage from Pudukkottai shows two boys filling buckets and cleaning one toilet, while another sweeps a different one.

  • Headmistress's Statement: The headmistress at the Thottipalayam school has reportedly denied instructing students to clean toilets, stating her instructions were limited to washing legs after use.

  • Official Actions:

  • An inquiry has been ordered into the Thottipalayam school allegations.

  • A principal in Tamil Nadu was suspended in January 2025 following a viral video.

  • A headmistress in Perundurai was suspended in December 2022 for a similar alleged offense.

  • A headmistress in Pudukkottai was suspended in July 2025 after a video showed students cleaning toilets.

Conflicting Narratives

Parental Allegations vs. School Administration's Defense

Parents at the Thottipalayam school contend that their children, specifically Class V students, were systematically made to clean toilets on a rotational basis. They view this as a severe issue, raising concerns of child abuse and caste discrimination.

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"According to the parents, the children were made to clean the toilets on a rotational basis, an act they said amounted to child abuse and caste-based discrimination."

The headmistress, however, refutes these claims. Her reported statement indicates that she did not ask students to clean the toilets but only instructed them to wash their legs after using them. This presents a direct contradiction regarding the nature and extent of the instructions given to the students.

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Viral Videos and Their Interpretation

Multiple videos have surfaced, appearing to corroborate the parents' claims. These videos reportedly show students, some as young as Class V, cleaning school toilets. One video is cited as featuring a mother detailing her son's regular duty of cleaning toilets under the headmistress's orders, with mention of a separate attendance register.

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However, official responses have sometimes sought to downplay the severity. In one instance involving a viral video of girls cleaning toilets, a representative from the school administration stated there was "no incident of children cleaning toilets," claiming instead that "the school children sweep and mop their own classrooms." This suggests a possible distinction being drawn between cleaning toilets and other custodial duties.

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Expert and Official Commentary

While direct expert analysis on the Thottipalayam incident is not yet available, previous similar incidents have drawn official reactions.

"The district education officer of Tamil Nadu's Palakkodu town has suspended the principal of a government school after some students – all girls – allegedly cleaned toilets of the school."

In another case in Pudukkottai, district officials launched an inquiry, and the district collector M. Aruna directed that the investigation commence on Saturday, the day before the video gained widespread traction on social media. Following the investigation, the CEO ordered the suspension of headmistress Kala, noting that she "allowed students to perform tasks meant for sanitation staff."

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"Noting that children should be raised properly and made strong, Shivakumar earlier said there are arrangements to clean toilets in schools."

This sentiment implies an expectation that schools should not burden students with such tasks, especially when sanitary workers are presumably employed for such duties.

Findings and Implications

The allegations at the Thottipalayam school have triggered an official inquiry, suggesting a credible basis for concern among the parents. The headmistress's denial stands in stark contrast to the parents' accounts and the implication of video evidence, creating a direct conflict that the inquiry must resolve.

The recurring nature of such incidents across different districts in Tamil Nadu, as evidenced by reports from Coimbatore, Perundurai, Palakkodu, and Pudukkottai, highlights a persistent issue within the school system regarding the use of students for cleaning duties, particularly toilets. Suspensions and inquiries have become standard responses, indicating an official acknowledgment of the seriousness of these allegations.

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The central question remains whether students were indeed instructed to clean toilets, and if so, under what authority and for what reasons. The potential for these actions to constitute child abuse and caste-based discrimination, as alleged by the parents in Coimbatore, elevates the matter beyond a simple administrative oversight. The outcome of the current inquiry is crucial for establishing facts and determining appropriate actions to prevent future occurrences.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are parents in Coimbatore saying?
Parents say that students in Class V at a school were made to clean the school toilets. They believe this is wrong and could be child abuse.
Q: What is the school headmistress saying?
The headmistress has said that she did not ask students to clean the toilets. She said she only told them to wash their legs after using them.
Q: Has this happened before?
Yes, there have been other reports in Tamil Nadu where students were allegedly made to clean toilets, and headmistresses or principals were suspended.
Q: What is happening now?
An official inquiry has been ordered to look into the claims made by the parents in Coimbatore.