Cleaning toilets: Schools can start with naughty students first - PTA

Cleaning toilets: Schools can start with naughty students first - PTA


Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's suggestion that school students must be trained to clean toilets has received support from the National Parent-Teacher Association.

Its president Mohamad Ali Hasan proposed that schools first start applying it to students with disciplinary problems.

"The suggestion that students should be trained to clean their school toilets with the aim of educating them about cleanliness and looking after public assets is not out of the ordinary and we strongly support it.

"Perhaps we can suggest that every class takes turns to clean toilets, surau and the corridor around their classrooms.

"In the old days, it was normal for students to be ordered to pick up trash from school fields, among others. Maybe as a start, naughty students and those who have disciplinary issues like bullying others can be ordered to do such social work like cleaning school toilets," he told Malaysiakini.

The cleanliness of educational institutions, or even workplaces for that matter, is the responsibility of everyone who uses the facilities, Ali added.

Yesterday, the prime minister called for children to be taught to wash toilets to ensure that comfort and hygiene at schools are maintained.

By being trained to do so, Anwar said the students will learn about cleanliness and respecting others, while indirectly understanding and appreciating the housework their mothers do.

In response to this, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek tweeted last night that her ministry will work on the implementation of the idea.

"I welcome the prime minister's suggestion that students are roped into learning about cleanliness at school.

"The Education Ministry will work on the details to implement this idea so that students will get the overall impact and added value," she said.

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kt comments:

I disagree with National Parent-Teacher Association president Mohamad Ali Hasan that the proposed toilet-cleaning at schools be started off with naughty students and school bullies.

Trust someone to come along and derail the related exercise from its real objective, that of making citizens, starting from school children, appreciate the importance of a Malaysian society which cherishes and keeps toilets (everywhere, not just at schools) clean and hygienic. The exercise is not meant to be an arena for punishment of school bullies or naughty school children.

It's frustrating when someone comes along and derail the intended track of the exercise until the real objective, that of a clean, hygienic and civic-conscious society, is missed.