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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Nearly 25% govt schools in Odisha have no toilets -Ashok Pradhan

Nearly 25% govt schools in Odisha have no toilets -Ashok Pradhan

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published Published on Jan 19, 2014   modified Modified on Jan 19, 2014
-The Times of India


BHUBANESWAR: Toilets, electricity, playgrounds and boundary walls are a rarity in government-run schools in Odisha, if a latest government report is any indication.

According to "Status of Elementary and Secondary Education in Odisha-2012", a report prepared by Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) released recently, of the total 53,193 elementary schools (up to class VIII), 12,588 schools have no toilets at all.

More than 50% schools (27,516) have no separate toilets for girls and boys. "Children going to these schools will automatically develop a habit of attending to nature's call out in the open," said Pradip Pradhan, a social activist.

The government schools include those run by the school and mass education department, the ST and SC development department and the local bodies (municipalities).

The report said 41,342 schools have no playground. While 44,076 have no electricity, 2,346 have no drinking water provision. Over 12,200 schools have no kitchen shed though mid-day meals are served in these schools. Over 18,500 schools have no boundary walls at all while another 10,000 have incomplete walls. And to top it all, over 350 schools have no building at all.

"These certainly don't represent a rosy picture of school education at a time when we are talking about implementing right to education. Some of these infrastructure inadequacies, however, may not matter much if there are enough quality teachers," said Pritish Acharya, a professor of history at the Regional Institute of Education here.

The report says there are 4,402 schools manned by a single teacher each. If he falls ill or takes a casual leave, the school remains closed. Around 18,000 (10%) of the total 1.79 lakh teachers are untrained.

Officials said the sector is improving over the years. "The status report may not depict a bright picture, but the improvement over the last decade is remarkable," said Krushna Gopal Mohapatra, state project director, OPEPA, the nodal agency to implement the flagship Sarv Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) for improvement of elementary schools.

A comparison with previous data somewhat corroborates Mohapatra's view. In 2008-09, the number of schools with no playground was 40,091 when the total number of schools in the state was 50,521. During the same period, the number of schools with no toilets stood at 21,000 and those without girls' toilets was 34,400. As many as 44,000 schools had no toilet in the said period.

Odisha has a budget of Rs 1,593 crore under SSA in 2012-13. The Centre-sponsored scheme was launched in the state in 2003.


The Times of India, 19 January, 2014, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Nearly-25-govt-schools-in-Odisha-have-no-toilets/articleshow/29031008.cms


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