CHENNAI: To address issues concerning sanitation and security facilities in government schools, the Tamil Nadu school education department has decided to outsource housekeeping, sanitation, open area maintenance and security work in 1,954 government schools across the state at a cost of Rs 130 crore. About 8,000 workers may be deployed in July to implement this first-ever outsourcing project in Tamil Nadu government schools, sources said.
The school education department has divided the state into four zones for selecting the schools for the project based on their student count. “High schools and higher secondary schools with more than 475 students have been selected for implementing the project.
The scheme will be extended to other schools over the next three years,” a top official in the school education department said. Although the department tried to issue a tender in 2021 to roll out a similar project, it was halted due to legal challenges from some bidders. The education department, however, has now successfully floated tenders following court directives, sources said.
At present, there are less than 500 workers employed in these schools and they would be allowed to continue their work till retirement. The state government has planned the system based on Andhra Pradesh model where external agencies maintain clean and safe environment in government schools.
Under the proposed system, security personnel will work in shifts round the clock while the housekeeping and sanitation staff will work from 7am to 3pm. Their duties will include opening and locking of school gates, classrooms, toilets, staff rooms, and other areas.
More children will enrol if school premises is kept clean, says parent
They will maintain registers for vehicles and visitors and ensure the safety of children on campus. Additionally, they will also report on maintenance requirement and oversee aspects such as water management, ground maintenance, and storage areas.
Zonal heads, area managers and supervisors will provide oversight, with periodic inspections conducted by school headmasters, Block Resource Teacher Educators (BRTE s), Chief Educational Officers (CEO s), and Joint Directors. While the monitoring process will ensure safety, training will be provided to employees regarding responsibilities.
A web-based mobile application monitoring system should be developed by successful bidders for the project. The application will display the pre and post cleaning status with images and videos. The same has to be uploaded on a daily basis. It will also incorporate AI tools to check the pre and post cleaning status.
“One of the major concerns of parents while enrolling their children in government schools is the unhygienic condition on premises, especially bathrooms. Ensuring that the premises are clean will lead to more students joining,” said a parent who is part of the School Management Committee. At present, most schools have deployed sanitation staff at paltry salaries to clean toilets twice a day.
Web-based mobile app to have AI tools
The application will display pre and post cleaning status with images and videos. It will also incorporate AI tools to check the pre and post cleaning status.