By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, November 14, 2015 : Odisha is yet to provide basic drinking and toilet facilities in schools, particularly in rural areas. Besides, it has not equally succeeded in addressing drinking needs in schools.   The study found that more than one-third of rural schools did not have even one functional toilet. Similarly, 43 per cent of schools did not have functional toilet for girls.

“The study also revealed that at least 57 per cent of high schools did not have functional toilet for girls and 48 per cent of schools lacked functional urinal. Likewise, 76 per cent of schools did not have proper hand-wash facilities, and 79 per cent of high-schools with girl students did not have even basic infrastructures to cater to menstrual hygiene need,” says Anil Pradhan, Convenor, Right to Education Forum, Odisha.

A quick survey of water, sanitation and hygiene status conducted in rural schools of Odisha in first week of October by Right to Education Forum and Regional Centre for Development Cooperation (RCDC) has revealed all these startling facts.

The assessment was carried out to evaluate the status of functionality of toilets, drinking water facilities, hand-wash facilities and menstrual-hygiene-management (MHM) facilities for girls in the schools.
Bimal Prasad Pandia, senior programme manager of RCDC, said, – while the sanitation and hygiene status remains abysmal; drinking water scenario, too, is quite poor.

“As high as 8 per cent of rural schools surveyed do not have any water supply provision and 76 per cent of schools have only tube well hand-pump as functional water source. Only 16 per cent schools had pipe water supply facility,” said Mr Pandia.

The assessment covered all schools of one sample rural Panchayat each in 20 districts of Odisha. Twenty Civil Society Organisations, who are working on education theme, under the aegis of Right to Education Forum (RTE Forum, Odisha) had conducted the survey in a participatory mode.

A total of 160 schools which included 14 high schools and five Sevashram schools, were covered in the assessment. These schools have 14,072 students on the roll and 568 teachers.

The survey found hope that many schools have had some kind of infrastructure development initiatives in the last one year.