441 Odisha schools don’t have toilet for girls

Bhubaneswar: Even after much effort to provide proper sanitation in educational institutions under Swachh Bharat Mission, many schools in Odisha is being run without basic amenities for girls.

Hundreds of students in state-run schools do not have access to toilets, putting girls education in particular at risk.

This was revealed by Planning and Convergence, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanabh Behera in Assembly today.

Answering to a question related to schools sans toilets, Behera in place of School & Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash, revealed the data in the House.

As per the data 2017-18, the girls toilet have been constructed in 53,763 schools and boys toilet in 52,521 schools out of total 54,298 state-run schools.

However, there is no toilet for girls in 441 schools and for boys in 1,485 schools in the state, the minister said.

Speaking about the drinking water facilities in schools, he said that all the schools avail the facility to have clean water.

The state government is committed to provide toilets and drinking water facilities in all the schools, Behera said adding that the Panchayatiraj & Drinking Water department has been directed to build the toilets in schools and provide safe and drinking water.

However, both the ruling and opposition parties reacted strongly over lack of sanitation for girl students in schools.

Criticising the state government for schools without proper toilets, Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati termed it as ‘unfortunate’.