TIRUPATI:While most of the government schools elsewhere in the state either do not have toilets -- especially for the girl students -- or have unclean and unusable toilets, the government schools in and around the Temple town of Tirupati are facing a different kind of problem with regard to the maintenance of their toilets. Though these schools boast of clean and well-maintained toilets, the amount sanctioned by the government for their upkeep is very meager and hence the school staff have to chip in with their mite for the purpose.
The ZP High School for Girls at Panchalinagar in Renigunta, has student strength of 327. The school has two big toilets , which are well-maintained. But as the government is paying only Rs 2,500 a month for their maintenance, the staff members also contribute some money every month for the purpose. As the school has a large number of students, the Rajiv Vidya Mission has sanctioned one more toilet for the school, according to headmistress V Mahalakshmi.
The MPP Upper Primary School, located at Manchineella Gunta in Renigunta, has a total of 186 students. The school doesn’t have a compound wall and the toilets have been constructed in an open area opposite the school. Though there is a water storage tank atop the toilet building, water is supplied to it only twice a week by the panchayat office. As this water is insufficient, the school is purchasing water from outside with contributions from its staff members.
For this school, the government is giving Rs 1,000 a month for the maintenance of its toilets. This amount was only Rs 500 a month till October 2014. As the amount is not sufficient, the school staff also contribute towards the payment of wages to a scavenger.
The story of MPP Urdu School, which is also located adjacent to the MPP office in Renigunta, is altogether different. This co-educational school has 42 students. The school has only one common toilet for both boys and girls but is neatly constructed with tiles. While there is a water storage tank on the school building for supply of water to the toilet, miscreants who sneak into the building at nights for boozing, frequently tamper with the pipelines, thereby disrupting the supply of water to the toilets, complains headmistress Ghousiya Pyari.
The ZP High School, which is located at R Mallavaram, around 20 km from here on the Tirupati-Nellore highway will, however, stand out as a model in maintenance of sanitation at its toilets. As there is a big water storage tank on top of the school building, running water is available round the clock.
There is also a Middle School in a separate old building opposite the main building, which is newly constructed. The old building has its own toilets. However, for the maintenance of the toilets in both the schools, the government is giving a meagre Rs 500 pm. Therefore, the school staff are compelled to share the burden of maintenance of the toilets by contributing Rs 100 each.