A controversy has erupted in Telangana after an audio clip, purportedly featuring Dr. V.S. Alugu Varshini, a 2012-batch IAS officer of the Telangana cadre and Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society (TGSWREIS), went viral on social media on May 28. In the clip, the officer is allegedly heard instructing school principals to make students perform cleaning duties, including washing toilets and maintaining hostel rooms, as part of their daily routine.
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Dr. Varshini reportedly made these remarks during a recent review meeting, defending the practice as an element of the state government’s “holistic education” model. She criticised some principals for hesitating to assign students such tasks due to potential parental backlash. “If any parent objects, tell them it is my order,” she was allegedly heard saying. She justified the move by stating that many students come from underprivileged backgrounds and need to learn essential life skills like cooking, sweeping, and cleaning, which would help them manage independently after leaving school.
In the audio, she downplayed the extent of the workload, claiming that students would spend no more than 20 hours over six months on these tasks. “This is not hard labour,” she asserted. “They are not from posh families where food appears at the snap of a finger.”
She also defended a case where a student was asked to make rotis, saying it was a valuable learning experience. “What’s wrong with that?” she asked. “I’ll post such pictures in the principals’ group for others to follow.” The officer recalled performing similar duties as a student, referring to it as Shram Daan (voluntary service), and warned parents against threatening school staff. “If they do, I will issue a show-cause notice and send their children away,” she said.
The clip triggered a strong backlash from child rights advocates and political opponents, who accused Dr. Varshini of promoting exploitative and discriminatory practices. Critics argued that forcing children—especially those from marginalised communities—to clean toilets undermines the objectives of the Gurukul system and violates several child protection norms.
Citing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the Right to Education Act (2009), they pointed out that such practices amount to degrading treatment and could reinforce caste- and class-based hierarchies, besides causing psychological harm and increasing dropout rates.
The Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) strongly condemned the officer’s statements. MLC Ms. K. Kavitha accused the Congress-led government of promoting an “anti-poor” and “anti-Dalit” agenda. She alleged that the previous BRS government had allocated Rs. 40,000 per month to each welfare school for hiring four cleaning staff, but those funds had been withdrawn since August 2024. Additionally, assistant caretakers were removed from 240 schools, forcing children to take on tasks like kitchen duties.
“This is not just insensitive—it’s exploitative,” Ms. Kavitha said. “It reflects the Revanth Reddy-led government’s disregard for marginalised communities.” She demanded Dr. Varshini’s removal and immediate restoration of the cleaning and support staff to ensure a dignified and inclusive environment for students. Dr. Varshini has not made any public statement on the matter so far.
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