Violation of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education of Children in Nalgonda District

Toilets For School Children Please

Three years after the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act came into force, children are still studying in unsafe schools, with no electricity, drinking water or toilets. Lack of infrastructure, especially facilities for drinking water and separate toilets for girls, is one of the key factors that push children out of schools. The alarming drop-out rate, especially among girls, is worrisome.

Situation of toilets in Govt Girls High Schools, Nalgonda. District,

As you can see there are many schools with no toilets.

Pochampally Girls High School has no toilets at all and there are about 312 students + 14 teachers.

Kodad Girls High School has 524 students + 20 teachers and there is no functional toilet.

Is it not a shame on people in general and bureaucrats/ politicians in particular.


Reasons

1. School managements are told to utilise Rs 500 per month from the Maintenance Fund to get the toilets cleaned. No one is willing to work for Rs 500.
    
2. There is no provision for the post of sweepers (who used to double up and clean toilets). Once a sweeper retires the post is not filled.
    
3. The post of Part Time Farash (PTF) is no longer in vogue
    
4. Schools get just two funds namely; School Grant and Maintenance Grant which is less than a lakh. These two grants are for the overall maintenance of school buildings, reeky roofs, reconstruction of boundary walls, toilet maintenance etc is insufficient.
5. 
   
6. Throughout the state the unused funds would be in several crores. Headmasters do not want to spend the money as they have to maintain cash registers.

What apex court had said

1. Set March 31, 2013 deadline for Centre, States  
2. Observed parents not sending children due to lack of toilets

The Supreme Court on October 3, 2012 directed the Centre and the state governments to provide basic infrastructure, including drinking water and toilets, in all schools on or before March 31, 2013.

A bench headed by justice K S Radhakrishnan fixed the time limit and asked the governments to take steps to provide the basic facilities in schools across the country.

The bench said that all its previous directions pertaining to providing infrastructure should be implemented within the time frame fixed by it.

On October 18, 2011, the apex court had directed all states and union territories to build toilets, particularly for girls, in all government schools.

The court passed the order on a PIL seeking its direction to Centre and state governments to provide basic facilities of drinking water and toilets in schools.

The apex court had earlier stated that it was imperative that all schools provide toilet facilities, as empirical researches indicated that wherever toilet facilities are not provided in schools, parents do not send their children (particularly girls) to schools.

The court had also observed that not providing the infrastructure was a violation of the right to free and compulsory education of children guaranteed under Article 21 (A) of the Constitution.

What you have to do

Send comments and solutions to tackle this problem.
Send complaints to MEO, DEO, District Collector, Project Director or any officer in RVS.
Send complaints to the local politicians.

Post comments here and share this blog.



Source. RTI and a blog post of thehansindia.com

August 18th 2014

A very important update.
TCS wants to build toilets in 10000 girls schools across the country.
100 Crores are set aside for this. Taking a cue from the "Clean India" initiative of PM- Narendra Modi

http://www.thenewsminute.com/news_sections/1129