February 2, 2017
Demand for addressing problem of inadequate number of toilets for girl students in schools in West Bengal
Mr. Deputy Chairman, Sir, I thank you for having allowed me to make my Special Mention.? For girl students access to toilet is not only a biological but a very important sociological need as well.
Unlike men, girls can’t urinate on walls or in the open as their decency is threatened? Inadequate toilet facilities in schools play a major role in the absent rate of girls in schools, followed by dropout rates.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development along with the Central Government has taken up initiatives like Swachh Vidyalya Abhiyan, where it claims to have achieved 100 per cent in 2014-15 itself. However, the prevailing conditions in five districts of West Bengal have a completely different story to tell.
I am hereby giving details of schools of five districts in West Bengal (Bardhaman, Howrah, Hooghly, Siliguri and North 24 Parganas) facing severe shortage of toilets.
Just to cite some examples, in Siliguri Municipal Corporation area, for 115 schools, there are only five girls’ toilets and in Chinsurah, for 95 schools, there are only six toilets. These statistics display lack of basic facilities in schools.
The condition is so appalling that there is not even one toilet per school. If we cannot provide the basic minimum facility like toilets to our girl child, then, how can we hope for a better future of our girls?? बेटी कोटॉयलेट नहीं देंगे, तो बेटी पढ़ेगी कैसे और बचेगी कैसे?? In order to secure a healthy and bright future for our girls, I urge upon the Government to look into this matter urgently.
