Cornered by the Jharkhand High Court for the increasing drop out rate among the girl students due to lack of functional washrooms in schools, the State Government has decided to launch ‘Nirmal School Programme’ to ensure sustainability of water and sanitation in toilets of the state-run schools from 2014-15 session.
The Human Resources Development (HRD) department is presently preparing an assessment report by surveying all the schools across the State facing difficulties in absence of girls’ toilets. The report has to be submitted to the High Court by January 30.
The issue was discussed in details on Monday at a meeting headed by HRD department’s Principal Secretary
K Vidyasagar. According to an official present in the meeting, under this yet to be launched programme schools will be felicitated at block, district and State levels for maintaining proper toilet facilities for their girl students especially.
“Coincidently, West Bengal is the only State in the country to begin such a programme. As of now, it is a time taking process. We have to identify people who will verify this plan within the State. A team of members will then visit West Bengal to study the successful implementation format of the programme in around 30,000 to 40,000 schools there,” said an official requesting anonymity.
An official pointed out, “Prior to beginning the project, the HRD department will hold a two-day workshop on framing an awareness generation strategy known as Behaviour Change Communication. This would focus on how to provide permanent facilities of water cum sanitation schemes in all the government schools. About 8 to 10 teachers, block education officers and district education officers will be participating in the workshop.”
Another source said that Vidyasagar has instructed his sub-ordinates to complete the ongoing assessment report by allocating funds to specific schools for solving the problem at the earliest. Notably, the compliance report status was also on agenda in a state executive committee meeting between Chief Secretary RS Sharma and HRD department officials on January 3. Sharma had then recommended to include basic hygiene policy in the curriculum textbooks.
Statistics of District Information System of Education (2012-13) reveals that though there are 82 percent schools with toilets in Jharkhand, but mere 52.5 per cent schools have usable toilets for girls.
“This is because of unawareness among School Management Committee members assigned to work on repair and development grants in their respective schools under Right to Education Act,” a senior member of the executive committee said.