Earlier this week the District Magistrate of Lucknow issued order that utensils of children eating midday meal in government schools will be washed by the cooks. This decision must have come as music to ears of anti-child labour lobby.

For the last many years newspapers publish photos and news of children of government primary schools cleaning their classrooms. Recently, newspapers published news of children washing their utensils after lunch. The DM’s decision might have come following such news.

What the scene is elsewhere?

A few years ago I watched a video on YouTube on the lunch time in a primary school of Japan. During lunch hour the cooks in the school arranged lunch in a kart room. Children of all the classes brought the food from the kart room with guidance of their class teachers. The lunch was served by three-four students to their fellow students, who ate the lunch at their desks. Potato used in the lunch was cultivated by the children themselves in the school. The class teacher ate the same lunch.

After everyone had finished the lunch, each child and teacher washed his or her utensils and put the same at designated place. Children tore open all the tetra packs of milk that was given to them, rinsed the open packs to remove traces of milk, dried them and put them for recycling.

Within next few minutes, each child cleaned his desk to remove any food dropping, cleaned the teacher’s table, and school veranda, bathroom and gym. And then resumed studies.

Back home I was told some 20 years ago by an alumni of elite Doon School that each child had with him (this is boys only school) a broom and dustpan to keep surroundings of his bed in the hostel clean. Each child polished his shoes. Each child was taught to fix buttons to his shirt and pants, in case they got broke away.

I don’t know what the scene is today in Doon School.

In predominantly tribal Jhabua district at Sampark Buniyadi Shala, which is a unique initiative by the NGO Sampark, children staying in the hostel wash the utensils in which they eat food. Not only this. They clean the premises, cultivate the vegetables that are used to prepare their food and take care of grains like drying and storing.

One period in this school is devoted to teach some skilling activity to students. By the time the students pass out class 10th, they are proficient in at least one trade which can help them enter job market if they wish.

All this keeping in tune with Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of respecting and promoting manual labour, so when the children turn into adults they do not shy away from labour and doing their own errands.

In my school days, we the children were responsible for planting, watering and taking care of flower plants in the flower beds in front of our classrooms. We were also responsible for cutting grass of the playground. We used to decorate the school during functions.

The decisions of authorities like above are not in the interest of children as such decisions will make them realise that there is someone else to do their work. Please refrain from them.