Toilets Please

We have been campaigning about the lack of toilets and sorry state of the toilets in government schools in the state. Ever wondered what is the state of toilets in private-run schools and schools that are affiliated to other boards like CBSE? To stress the importance of sanitation, HRD Ministry and CBSE Board have started grading affiliated schools for the upkeep of sanitation levels. National School Sanitation Initiative (NSSI) started in 2009 colour codes for schools on the basis of sanitation levels; with green being the best sanitation levels and red the worst.

We suggest people raise their voice on the issue. They may share their observations, findings or indignation, with pictures wherever available, to drive the message home. Responses may be sent to toilets.pls@thehansindia.in

Poor sanitation in most CBSE run schools

• Very poor sanitation though they charge exorbitant fees
• Only two schools in green category
• Out of 64 schools, 43 are in red category
• Kendriya Vidyala schools get red rating for second consecutive year

Good Schools need Good Students and Good Students need Good Sanitation. Sanitation is at the core of human dignity and human progress. Access to sanitary toilets not only ensures dignity of the individual but also positively impacts health, well-being and productivity, reduces drop-out rates and encourages regular attendance in schools. To make the schools accountable not only towards education but also towards sanitation, a key issue which many schools choose conveniently to ignore, Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) along with Ministry of Human Resource Development, Ministry of Urban Development and Deutsche Gesellschaft Für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has started the National School Sanitation Initiative (NSSI) in 2009. This programme has gained momentum and CBSE has mandated all its schools to enrol while the programme is open to all schools that are operating under 31 different boards in the country.

The primary objective of NSSI is to produce tangible improvement of hygiene and gender adequate access to school sanitation, awareness generation on sanitation and hygiene issues to school children, teachers, principals, administrative staff and parents and hence to create behavioural and attitudinal change towards sanitation & hygiene within the society thereby giving it utmost importance.

Approach

Under NSSI it was made compulsory for CBSE schools to focus on practical aspects of sanitation, laying emphasis on personal hygiene, clean toilet habits, safe drinking water and separate toilets for girls, disposal of waste water, human excreta disposal, waste water recycling, waterless urinals, waste segregation and compositing, food hygiene and creation and conservation of green spaces. Ratings are given to each school on the basis of the adherence to the above standards set. If the rating is between 91-100 the schools are awarded green, 75-90 blue, 50-74 yellow, 33-49 black and less than 33 red.

Sorry ‘State’ of toilets

Though the ratings and initiative are open to all the boards sadly no schools from any other boards have applied. There are 64 schools in the state that are affiliated to CBSE and sadly two of them are in green and 43 in red. Though the Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) is one of the partners of the initiative, sadly, the Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) which are under MHRD got red rating for the second consecutive year. In the year 2012 out of 13,000 CBSE affiliated schools in the country only 4 schools got green certificate and this year there are 16 schools with green certificate. Out of 64 CBSE schools, 2 are green, 12 blue, 4 yellow, 3 black and 43 are in red category.

Kennedy High Global School, Bachupally and Shantiniketan Vidyalaya, Shamirpet are the only schools from the state that are rated green under the school sanitation initiative.

Fingers are being pointed at the schools that are charging exorbitant fees but are not adhering to the standards set. Educationists say that thankfully the government run schools haven’t took part in the initiative as most of the schools do not even have the basic amenities on which the ratings are given.

Speaking to The Hans India, Shaik Mohammad Saleem, deputy commissioner, KV Sanghatan, says, “School sanitation initiative is going on. We have issued guidelines to all the schools and a team is inspecting all the KVs. They also give suggestions for improving the sanitation standards”.

Asked about the ratings, Saleem said, “We haven’t received any circular from our head office in this regard.”

The sanitation standards of KV schools have improved dramatically after the sanitation drive. We have been denied permission by the KV school authorities to take the photograph of the toilets.

“The initiative not only rates the school’s sanitation levels but also recommends steps for improving. Despite all these 43 schools are in the red category shows gross negligence on the part of management. It is even sad to see all the KVs in red, if MHRD doesn’t promote its own initiative then who will,” questioned Bhanu Prakash, founder-member, Sankalp.

“Most private institutes wash their hands saying that they have toilets, the point is sanitation levels. It is sad to see 43 schools in red category, as they are either private or MHRD run institutes and are cash rich, high standards are to be expected,” said Atchuta Rao, founder, AP Balala Hakkula Sangham.