The Supreme Court has ruled that access to sanitation in schools is a right under the Right to Education and has asked the States to ensure separate access to toilets for boys and girls as well as access to clean water. Many companies, under their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, are funding and building toilets in schools encouraged by the Central and State government.

This is not only a much needed initiative to provide a safe sanitation space for children in schools and anganwadis but also an excellent way of wiring the thinking of children to cleanliness and hygiene all around. Yet certain parameters must be kept in mind, particularly when outside funders and builders build toilets.

1. Always consult the school, the School Development Management Committee and the local government right from the planning stage in the design of the toilets. Do not make it a tokenism but a genuine effort.

2. Understand where the school teachers come from and help address their problem from the beginning. Sometimes there might be a water shortage, particularly in summer months, forcing the school to close the toilet doors. Ensure and help the school access round-the-clock water before you build toilets for them...............Read more

Source web page: The Hindu