Dehradun school students forced to lift sand and soil in viral video; head teacher suspended

Some children in school uniforms were seen lifting sand and soil on their heads, while others used spades to pile it into pans. (Image credit: @LusunTodariyaUK/X)

The head teacher of a government primary school in Dehradun has been suspended after a video surfaced showing students being forced to do manual labour.

The video, which appeared on social media, shows eight students at Government Primary School, Banjarawala, in the Raipur block, carrying gravel with shovels and pans.

Some children in school uniforms were seen lifting sand and soil on their heads, while others used spades to pile it into pans. The incident allegedly took place on Monday during the school’s lunch break, The Indian Express reported.

राजकीय प्राथमिक विद्यालय टी एस्टेट बंजारावाला देहरादून से यह चिंताजनक दृश्य देखने को मिल रहा है जहाँ बच्चों से लेबर का कार्य करवाया जा रहा है । pic.twitter.com/gqIKWCGaUn

— Lusun Todariya (@LusunTodariyaUK) October 6, 2025

The district education department confirmed that the children were made to work and suspended the head teacher, Anju Manaduli, who has been at the school since 2009 and took charge as head teacher in July. All five teachers at the school have been served with show cause notices, and an inquiry has been ordered to look into the matter.

The suspension letter stated that students were being made to perform manual labour.

“This shows negligence and indiscipline on the part of the head teacher. Based on information and videos from social media and other sources, it has been confirmed that students were made to lift sand and gravel using spades, shovels, and pans. This violates the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, Uttarakhand Government Department of Women Empowerment guidelines, and section 13 of the Child Development Notification, 2011,” the letter read.

The District Education Officer (DEO) has directed that an investigation officer be appointed to carry out a fair and impartial inquiry. The officer will hear all parties, provide the Assistant Teacher with a charge sheet, complete departmental action, and submit the report within 30 days.

The Secretary of Higher Education, Ravinath Raman, said he has asked the Chief Education Officer of Dehradun for a full report.

The school has 309 students and was established in 1949, according to the Unified District Information System for Education. Meanwhile, Manaduli claimed she was unaware of the incident. She said the students took the initiative themselves.

“We were building a rainwater harvesting tank, and the gravel and the labour equipment had been left behind by the labourers. The children asked me if the gravel could be deposited over the slushy areas of the ground where rainwater had accumulated. I told them that we had to wait till the labourers came, but they went ahead with the task without informing anyone. By the time I found out, I was served the suspension letter,” she was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.