Lack of toilets leads them to use open ground which is unhygenic
Over 7,000 government schools in Tamil Nadu do not have separate toilet for girls in primary schools out of which 139 schools do not have toilet facilities for boys also
CHENNAI: Over 7,000 government schools in Tamil Nadu do not have separate toilet for girls in primary schools out of which 139 schools do not have toilet facilities for boys also, according to the government education department.“While this problem is prevalent in districts such as Tiruvannamalai, Tanjavur, and Villupuram, city schools have sufficient toilet facilities,” said Ms D. Sabitha, school education secretary.
For 10-year-old K. Cauvery, who studies in a corporation school in Chennai, as cleanliness matters to her, she always makes use of the toilet facilities in her school. But most of the village school students are yet to be as fortunate as Cauvery.“From childhood, girls are shy and do not feel free to use toilets that are commonly built for boys and girls. While the infrastructure recommendation for schools are checked out before granting recognition, one of the main criteria is providing sufficient toilets for girls,” said academician S.S. Rajagopalan.
Controlling the urge to urinate can lead to urinary infections and other stomach-related diseases, say doctors. “Any fluid in the body retained for sometime should be released within a specific period. Otherwise, it leads to accumulation of stones in the urinary tract and burning sensation in the genital,” said Dr Balaji Ravilla Baskaran, gastroenterologist.
The lack of girls toilets might lead to their using the open ground that will be unhygienic, according to Dr Karthik Surya, paediatrician. “Children should be inculcated with good sanitary habits lest they contract germs that lead to other infections,” he cautioned.
Although the drop-out rate among school students has gone down 20 per cent from last year, 40,000 students have still dropped out this year. Lack of sufficient toilets could also be a reason for this, say educationists. “While casteism and migration are major reasons for school dropouts, lack of sanitary facilities could be one of the reasons,” said Mr S. Arumainadhan, state president of Tamil Nadu students parents association.
As part of Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat programme, primary schools in Tamil Nadu that lack toilet facilities for girls will be soon provided with the necessary infrastructure, according to Ms Pooja Kulkarni, state project director.“There are 37,000 government schools in Tamil Nadu, of which 30,000 have separate toilets for girls. The rest will soon be provided separate girls toilets,” she assured.
“Out of the 31,000 primary and middle schools, while some schools are upgraded from primary to high school, the existing classes become a separate entity and there is need to construct additional toilets for the upgraded classes which will be done soon,” she added.
Next Story
