A survey of water, sanitation and hygiene status in rural schools of Odisha reveals that more than one-third of rural schools do not have even one functional toilet.
The survey was conducted by the Right to Education Forum, Odisha and Regional Centre for Development Cooperation (RCDC), a voluntary organization, in October.
The study had assessed functionality of toilets, drinking water facilities, hand-wash facilities and menstrual-hygiene-management facilities for girls in 160 rural schools, including 14 high schools and five Sevashram schools, in 20 districts of Odisha.
These schools have 14,072 students on the roll and 568 teachers.
Of these schools covered, as many as 57 schools did not have even one functional toilet. These schools did not have even one common toilet nor for boys or for girls or for teachers. The rest 103 schools had at least one or more functional toilets.
Similarly, 84 schools had functional toilets meant for girls of these only five have tap water provision. This indicates that only 3% of the schools had functional toilets for girls with tap connection and as high as 48% of schools covered had no functional toilets for girls at all.
Presenting the report before the Media, RCDC programme manager Bimal Prasad Pandia said as high as 43 % of schools did have functional toilet for girls, 57 % of high schools did not have functional toilet for girls, 48% of schools did not have any functional urinal, 76% of schools did not have proper hand-wash facilities, and 79% of high-schools with girl students did not have even basic infrastructures to cater to menstrual hygiene needs.
The forum members too stated that an estimated 8% of rural schools surveyed do not have any water supply provision and 76% of schools have only tube well hand-pump as functional water source.
They further found that only 16% schools had pipe water supply facility’.
Download the Survey Report.
Courtesy: Prameya News
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