HYDERABAD: As summer break ends and students pack their bags to get back to their regular routine, what greets them are dysfunctional toilets in government schools across the State. With lack of toilets on the school premises, students are forced to sit through classes irrespective of lunch breaks. The problem gets worse when adolescent girls have to either rush to open spaces or get back home to change their sanitary napkins. The issue came to the light when Express spoke to Department of Education officials in Hyderabad who said that there are close to 66 schools in the city with dysfunctional toilets.
“We fixed the washrooms in government schools before the academic year 2017-18 besides providing additional classrooms and water facility. When school management committees were again asked about condition of schools, we got to know that as many as 66 toilets in government schools lack water facility. However, the situation needs to be assessed if major or minor repairs are required,” said Jonalla Prasanna, Hyderabad’s district inspector of schools.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that though officials from the Department of Education and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Services and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) looked at several options, water crisis remains an unresolved issue in few government schools. One of them is this government school is in Falaknuma limits. The school, located in the rocky terrain, struggles to get access to water throughout the year. Engineers say though water lines can be laid, the school authorities will face a tough time in pumping up the water.
“The rocky terrain also rules out the option of getting a water tanker constructed on the school premises. Engineers say digging up the ground to get access to water might land the school in trouble making its foundation unstable,” said an official.
Sangareddy
500 school buildings are in precarious condition
As many as 500 school buildings are in precarious condition in the united Medak district. Though proposals have been sent for repair works, no funds have been allocated in the last two years. A primary school in Chandlapur village in Sangareddy needs urgent repair as several slabs have fallen apart with iron rods protruding and cement crumbling. Teachers and villagers have requested the officials to repair the building but to no avail. Most of the school buildings in the villages were constructed long ago. With no repair works taken up so far, the teachers are a worried lot as monsoons are about to hit the district.
Karimnagar
Students fetch water from their homes
With as many as 144 government schools facing acute water scarcity, it is learnt that students are fetching water from their homes. If the estimation of the education department is to be believed, around 3, 543 students have dropped out due to lack of adequate facilities in the schools. Consider this. Rekurthi primary school authorities are forced to cook in the open as the institution lacks kitchen. The doors of Kothapalli ZP school are damaged to such an extent that they run the risk of crumbling down. Likewise, the students of Savaran High School rush to the school compound wall to relieve themselves.
Warangal
Two toilets for 200 kids
There are 131 government schools in Warangal urban district with as many as 13,697 students studying in them. Similarly, 56,445 students are studying in 720 government schools in Warangal rural district. While majority of school buildings are in good condition, most of them lack toilets. The number of toilets are not enough when compared to the strength of the schools. Take the case of Basith Government High School, which is one of the oldest school in the city. The school building was repaired recently in order to make it reusable. There are over 200 students but it has only two toilets—one for boys and another for girls.
Mahbubnagar
110 toilets yet to be built
Funds have been allocated for construction of 510 toilets in Mahbubnagar district. Out of this, construction of 340 have been completed while construction of 110 toilets is yet to begin. About 1,780 schools are in a dilapidated state, out of which 23 schools have been sanctioned repairs where 14 have been completed. No measures have been taken up so far in the district. Construction of two additional classrooms in the primary school in Wanaparthy have not been completed yet.
Khammam
Still no textbooks?
Thousands of government school students in both Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem districts have no access to sufficient toilets or clean drinking water. There are 1,072 primary, 166 upper primary and 162 high schools in both districts which lack basic facilities. As the number of toilets are less when compared to the strength of the classrooms. Meanwhile, the school students and teachers have been still waiting to get their textbooks even a week after the regular classes have commenced.
Nizamabad
District officials await funds
Officials of the department of education are busy preparing proposals to improve infrastructure facilities at government and Zilla Parishad schools in the erstwhile Nizamabad. There are more than 2,000 schools with more than 2 lakh students studying in them in both Nizamabad and Kamareddy. District education officer N Rajesh said that there is a need for additional infrastructure. With proposals for repair works already submitted, the district officials have been waiting for the State authorities to release funds.