Over 14,000 govt schools in state don’t have toilets

Tribune News Service

Advertisement

Jammu, March 19

In a clear violation of the Supreme Court’s directive that all government schools should have separate toilets for boys and girls, over 14,000 of these in Jammu and Kashmir do not have toilets.

The state education department said out of these schools, 7,975 didn’t have boys’ toilets and 6,397 didn’t have girls’ toilets.

“There are 24,265 government schools with 16, 68,292 students. Of these institutions, 14,372 don’t have toilet blocks, which constitute 59.22 per cent of the total number of schools. Recently, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry, taking a note of the gap in provision of toilet facilities, started the construction of 14,372 toilet blocks in schools under Swachh Bharat Vidyalya Programme,” Naeem Akhtar, Minister for School Education Department, said in the Legislative Council here today.

Akhtar was replying to a Calling Attention Notice moved by Member of Legislative Council (MLC) Shehnaz Ganai about the non-availability of basic facilities such as safe drinking water and toilet facilities in government schools and educational institutions in the state.

The minister said the public sector undertakings like the NHPC Ltd & Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) had also agreed to contribute in the construction of toilet blocks in the schools.

He said the government has put in strenuous efforts to provide safe drinking water and toilet facilities in government schools and all these toilet blocks would be constructed by August 15.

In March 2012, the Supreme Court of India had asked all the states and union territories to provide separate permanent toilets for boys and girls in all schools across the country, saying it was an essential part of the right to education of children.