Govt to ensure adequate toilet facilities in schools

The Centre is gearing up to begin the second round of a nationwide exercise to ensure that all government schools have adequate number of toilets, urinals and drinking water facilities.

As per norms, there should be one toilet for 80 students, one urinal for 40 students and one drinking water facility for 80 students in schools.

“We will identify the schools that do not have these facilities in proportion to the number of students as prescribed under the norms, and then provide financial assistance to meet the shortfall in the second round of our initiative,” said a senior official of the HRD Ministry.

The construction of new toilets, urinals and drinking water facilities will be supported from the funds marked for Centre-sponsored schemes Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, he added.

The ministry constructed over 4 lakh segregated toilets for boys and girls within a span of one year after Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a call for it during his Independence Day address in 2014.

“Following the prime minister’s call, we worked in a mission mode and got constructed a total of 4,17,796 gender-segregated toilets within a year. These toilets may not be adequate for the students. Our second round of efforts will take care of this,” the official said.

The ministry has written to all the state governments, central board of secondary education and Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan to ensure that the toilets constructed at schools are well maintained.