Children as young as three or four refrain from using toilets if these are dirty.
Hazeena K.R., a neonatologist at KIMS Hospital, says not just older children, those studying in pre-primary or kindergarten also report health problems from not passing urine regularly.
Some children do go to toilet, but do not wash. This combined with sweat from long hours in school may lead to redness, itching, or pain while washing, though urinary infections are rarely reported.
“Teachers and ayahs must help these children wash after using the toilet.” Some children may also report contact dermatitis, she says.
Amar Fettle, former senior consultant paediatrician, Health Services, says many students are reluctant to use school toilets because those are dirty or lack facilities such as soap or water, are dark, or lack ventilation.
Toilets often have no mugs or have broken buckets or doors. They don’t even have hooks where children may hang their clothes if they need to change. “Authorities do not seem to care about such things. Children stop drinking water in school so that they do not have to use the toilet. As a result, they may develop urinary infections and other problems,” he says.
Teachers are also known to prevent children from going to toilet in the name of discipline. “Even in play schools, children are subjected to intimidation to prevent them from going to toilet.”
It does not help that students, at times, display disdain for cleanliness of school toilets, unlike what they would do for toilets in their homes. “Some do not care what happens after they use a facility and leave it dirty,” Dr. Fettle says.