CYBERJAYA - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today stressed that schoolchildren should be taught to take responsibility for keeping their schools clean, including cleaning toilets, to instil discipline and counter perceptions of class divisions in society.
He said regardless of background, all schoolchildren must learn to respect all forms of work and understand that cleanliness is a shared responsibility.
"Earlier, at a school event, I asked whether teachers had begun asking the students to clean the school and toilets. Many said they had, but I understand some parents have objected on social media.
"So my advice is this...our children, without exception, are generally not from aristocratic backgrounds. We all share responsibility. We use the toilets, so we clean them,” he commented when asked after Friday prayers at Surau Bomba Cyberjaya here.
Anwar also urged parents to support such initiatives, stressing the importance of teaching children to value all types of work and not look down on cleaning tasks.
"I do not think this is complicated. I ask parents to cooperate and train their children to value all work. It should not be seen as a cleaner’s job, as that reinforces class divisions in society,” he said. - BERNAMA