Belagavi: Although reopening of
schools has been deferred indefinitely owing to the fear of their turning into fertile grounds for the transmission of
Covid-19 infection, the government when it decides to restart classes needs to ensure that the
lavatories in state-run institutions are fixed lest they become potential hotspots for the spread of the pandemic.
If the number of urinals and lavatories are woefully inadequate to the strength of the students in some schools, the condition of the toilets in some of them is downright
pathetic. Poor or utter lack of maintenance has resulted in some of the lavatories being filthy, while the ceiling of some of the toilets are leaking, while few others do not have doors.
A survey conducted by the Bharatiya Gnana Vignana Samiti (BGVS) of government school lavatories in Raichur district found that a staggering 890 of the 3,182 toilets were dysfunctional. While 450 of them did not have supply of water, the remaining 440 were in urgent need of repair.
Syed Hafizullah, an activist in Raichur district, said that the suspension of regular activities owing to the pandemic provided the right window for the government to fix the lavatories. “There are many schools boasting a student strength of more than 500, and common urinals in these institutions become very crowded during recess. The government needs to build more toiles in schools where land is available for the setting up of such structures,” Hafizullah said.
Not a single toilet at the Bavihalli Government Higher Primary School in Ballari district was fit for use, said Hussain Saheb, president of the School Development Monitoring Committee (SDMC) Hussain Saheb. “The three toilets in the school were built many years ago, and have since fallen into disrepair owing to lack of maintenance. “The students are forced to relieve themselves in the open as a result. While it was with some relief that we welcomed the news of the government deciding to reopen schools, we are also concerned about the problems the children might face owing to the poor condition of the toilets,” Hussain Saheb told TOI.
The situation is worse in Bidar district, where, according to Rajesh Manohar, a teacher in one of the government schools. “Nearly 80% of the toilets in government schools in the district do not have water supply. Leave alone maintenance, how can one expect children to use these lavatories when there is no water,” he said.
A fortnight ago, the government issued a circular to the local officials in the department of public instruction to repair, clean and fix defunct toilets. However, Vajramuni S, a teacher in the government school in Mysuru cited the lack of funds for such an undertaking. “The prolonged break resulted in maintenance of toilets going for a toss. As a result, in the vicinity of the lavatories, shrubs and plants have grown wildly, and children are bound to face difficulties in going to the lavatories. Many of the school toilets in Mysuru do not have doors and many locals take advantage of this to relieve themselves in a most unhygienic way,” Vajramuni said.
A mere 30 urinals at a government school with nearly 850 students is illustrative of the problem in Koppal district. Laxman M, father of a child studying at a Koppal government school, said that improving the condition of the lavatories and building more urinals would make parents less apprehensive about sending their wards to school.
QUote
insufficient number and poor maintenance of toilets has been a longstanding problem with government schools. Given the situation we are facing owing to the pandemic, improving infrastructure in schools is the need of the hour
Shubhankar Chakraborty, Secretary of BGVS
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