Mon Jun 30 19:05:01 UTC 2025: ## Chennai Schools to See Boost in Sanitation Staffing
**Chennai, India – July 1, 2025** – The Greater Chennai Corporation Council has approved a significant investment in sanitation for city schools, authorizing the hiring of 1,538 sanitation workers to maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards. The initiative, affecting 511 schools across Chennai, will ensure a ratio of one sweeper for every 300 students and one scavenger for every 10 toilets.
The new staffing norms, adhering to a government order, aim to improve hygiene conditions across all Corporation, government, aided, and special schools within Zones 1 to 15. The deployment will prioritize gender-specific staffing in toilet cleaning, with separate guidelines for co-educational, girls’, and boys’ schools.
The implementation will be carried out through the National Urban Livelihoods Mission (NULM) and Self-Help Groups (SHGs), offering a monthly wage of ₹753 per worker. Zonal offices will manage the deployment, ensuring schools receive the appropriate number of sanitation staff based on student population and facilities.
Beyond staffing, Mayor R. Priya announced a mandatory scheduled water break for all students in Chennai schools. The council also approved operational and maintenance costs for sanitation equipment, including ride-on sweepers. Contracts were approved for two years for operation and comprehensive maintenance of 10 ride-on sweeper vehicles in North and Central regions, for a total cost of ₹2.48 crore per region. These will be used for cleaning school grounds and other Corporation premises.
The council’s decision represents a major step towards improving the learning environment for Chennai students and ensuring higher standards of hygiene within the city’s educational institutions.
First Piper 