The Rajasthan High Court has directed the State government not to grant recognition to new schools and colleges if they do not have basic facilities, including separate toilets for boys, girls and staff and drinking water.
The interim order was issued by a Division Bench of acting Chief Justice Sunil Ambwani and Justice Prakash Gupta on a PIL by Radha Shekhawat.
The court also asked the State to appoint a chairperson to the State Commission for Child Right that would monitor provision of basic facilities in schools.
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Earlier, a study conducted by the Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS) on the directions of the High Court on the availability of toilet facilities in schools in Jaipur district showed that 36 per cent schools do not have any toilets for boys and 54 per cent have only one toilet. Therefore, 90 per cent of the schools have one or less than one toilet for boys.
As many as 20 per cent schools do not have toilets for girls, 67 per cent have one toilet, suggesting that 87 per cent schools have no or just one toilet for girls. Forty-eight per cent schools did not have separate toilets even for staff. The norms of the Water Sanitation Hygiene programme for school (WASH) for toilets are 1 toilet for 80 boys and 1 toilet for 40 girls. The findings show that for boys, 68 per cent schools have a ratio of one toilet per 80 boys, while for girls only 28 per cent schools have one toilet for 40 girls.
WASH norms for urinals are one urinal for 20 boys and one urinal for 20 girls. The findings show that for boys 18 per cent have the required ratio and for girls only 19 per cent schools fulfil the ratio.
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Water was made available in schools and in toilets through the sources of taps, well, hand-pump, tanks (filled by tankers, pipeline, rain-water harvesting). Rainwater harvesting was available in only two schools.
Water in toilets was available only in 48.55 per cent schools, while the rest had no water in the toilets. Water in urinals was available only in 52.15 per cent schools.