Where should toilets be located in schools, especially those meant for girl students in rural areas? Away from public view is the common sense answer. But toilets in many a school in former united Adilabad district are not being used by girls owing to their mislocation.
The over 150 prefabricated single toilets exclusively meant for girl students’ use were allocated to schools under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2015. However, they keep away from them the perceptive change in their mindset vis-a-vis open defecation notwithstanding Reason? The doors of these toilets at many places are village-facing with public movement. Superfluous though, shame is the deterrent.
Have toilets, but of no use
Mesram Indru, the patel, or head man of Gopalpurguda hamlet in Indervelli mandal of Adilabad district pointed out the the single moulded plastic toilet close to the local Tribal Welfare Primary school to buttress his point. “When door is facing the village, how will girls use the toilet,? he questioned the rationale behind the location.
“No one consulted us about these aspects when the toilet was constructed. They came and set it up and went away,” recalled the patel of Rasimetta village in Jainoor mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district pointing at the structure in the local primary school, the door of which was facing the village.
“Yes, very few of the prefabricated toilets are being used for reasons which can actually be sorted out. The government had constructed 161 of those in 123 schools of all descriptions across old united Adilabad district at a cost of around ₹ 1 lakh each,” District Educational Officer A. Ravinder Reddy revealed.
Cannot be relocated
An official in the Education Department’s Engineering Wing said the issue of relocating the toilets cannot be sorted out as there is no budget for such eventualities. “We have in fact withheld payment wherever the construction is incomplete,” he disclosed, only to reveal another aspect which has rendered the toilets useless.
“There are issues of water connectivity and damage caused to the plastic structures owing to lack of safety,” the DEO pointed out. “But the Head Masters concerned can take initiative to rectify such issues and put the toilets to use,” he added.
