Separate toilet for girls a rarity in primary schools

Daily Bhaskar: Ahmedabad: Monday, August 06, 2012.

Out of the 566 primary schools in 13 talukas of the state and in Surat, 192 do not have separate toilets for girls. This was revealed by the reply to a RTI query about primary schools which do not have adequate infrastructure. It may be noted that in September 2011, the Supreme Court had directed all states and union territories to ensure construction of toilets in primary schools, especially for girls, by the end of November 2011.

The 192 schools which do not have separate toilets for girls are situated in Surat and in 13 talukas of different districts. The talukas are Vijaynagar, Tarapur, Ghogha, Bhanvad, Bhiloda, Vav, Amirgadh, Mangrol, Porbandar, Ranavav, Bagasara, Lathi and Lamlodhpur. “Government is not sensitive about developing basic infrastructure,” said Sukhdev Patel, an activist.

The RTI application was filed and its reply received by Dalit Hak Rakshak Manch (DHRM), an NGO which works for welfare and education.

“Apparently, health and hygiene are not a priority for the state government. Also, people are not vocal about problems they face daily. Hence, policy-makers take the problems lightly,” said Rakesh.