Girl Students in Kurnool District Struggle Due to Inadequate Toilets
Kurnool: Girl students studying both in government and some private schools in Kurnool district are facing major challenges due to inadequate toilet facilities in schools. For the approximately 19,700 students, only 240 toilets are available.
According to regulations, there should be one toilet for every 10 students. But the reality is that over 82 students are using a single toilet. In government schools, the situation is worse. One toilet is used by 340 students.
Urologists have raised concerns, warning that lack of adequate toilet facilities is contributing to urinary infections among girl students. Hundreds of them suffer from dehydration, as many avoid drinking enough water in order not to use the school toilet.
Under the second phase of the Nadu-Nedu initiative, over Rs 100 crore had been allocated and the work on toilets was handed over to contractors. However, in some areas, contractors halted their work due to non-sanctioning of bills. At many toilets, no provision is there for necessary and continuous water supply. As a result, girl students are enduring difficulties.
In some cases, girl students are forced to go to their friends' houses nearby, or the nearby bus stand or railway station, to access toilet facilities.
At Kodumuru Zilla Parishad Girls' High School, which has 1,338 girls enrolled, only 28 toilets are available. Some of these toilets are dilapidated, while others have damaged taps.
In Kurnool City, schools, such as Damodaram Sanjeevayya School and APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Municipal School, serve around 150 students each from Class 1 to Class 10. Toilets at these schools had been built at a cost of Rs 17.80 lakh. However, these toilets are not being used at most schools due to lack of water supply.
Government Girls' High School in Adoni town is facing a severe toilet shortage. Around 700 students from hostels and 400 from nearby villages attend this school.
Inadequacy or non-maintenance of toilets in both government and private schools is causing female students to avoid drinking water, fearing difficulties in finding a toilet. Some students avoid going to the toilet from morning till evening, thereby risking infections.
Urology expert Dr. Bhaskara Reddy has expressed concern about the health risks this poses. Student leaders have many times demanded that the state government ensure sufficient toilet facilities.
When contacted, a senior official from the education department in the district said that they will submit a proposal for the required toilets, so that they could be built during the holidays at the end of the current academic year.
