punjab

Updated: Oct 12, 2015 10:44 IST

Eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Union government’s much-hyped Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign from Haryana, the BJP-ruled state has failed to construct toilets for girls in most of the government schools. Cleanliness and maintenance of toilets is another challenge.

These facts came to light in a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by Rohtak-based social activist Subhash wherein he had sought details of toilets in government schools.

As per the RTI reply, several government schools — especially senior secondary girls’ schools — in Sonepat, Hisar, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Mewat districts do not have the required number of toilets. In Fatehabad district, 400 girl students of Government Senior Secondary School, Nagpur, have to use one toilet as the two other toilets have been rendered useless due to lack of maintenance.

Similarly, 1,187 students of Girls Senior Secondary School, Fatehabad, share four toilets as two toilets have not been made functional yet. In Ratia Government Primary School, there is only one toilet for 266 girls. The girl students of several government schools in Bhiwani district are also facing similar problem as the Girls Senior Secondary School, Samaspur, has only one toilet for 208 girls.

The RTI reply revealed that the a few days before the launch of the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign, the state government had allocated Rs 11.96 crore for the maintenance of 4,656 toilets, including 2,417 for girls in 2,247 primary and middle schools of all 21 districts of the state, but toilets in several schools are still non-functional.

Only 500 toilets are in working condition for 52,512 girl students in women and child development minister Kavita Jain’s home district of Sonepat. AS total of 450 toilets are non-functional due to lack of maintenance.

In April this year, Haryana education minister Ram Bilas Sharma had announced that toilets would be constructed in all state-run girls’ schools and a special sanitation fund would be sanctioned for the same, but the maintenance of toilets in government schools still remains a challenge for the government.

“Cleanliness also a major issue as most of the schools do not have sweepers and girls hesitate to raise the issue with teachers and parents,” said a teacher of government senor secondary school in Rohtak, requesting anonymity.