Half of the schools in Karnataka have no toilets. In every fourth high school, girls have to share toilets with boys. And only 35 per cent of the girls’ toilets are usable. These shocking revelations are among the findings of a nation-wide survey on the condition of schools and schoolchildren conducted by an NGO ‘Pratham’.

Although the survey ‘Assessment Survey Evaluation Research 2009’ (ASER 2009) indicates a marginal improvement for Karnataka in a number of parameters, the state's government seems to have left this most primordial of needs to nature’s devices. The survey was conducted in October – November 2009 in 133 primary schools and 623 middle and high schools across both government and private schools in all 27 educational districts of the state.

For the whole of India, ASER 2009 reported that the percentage of schools with no water or toilet provision is declining over time. Water is available in 75% of government primary schools and 81% of upper primary schools. Useable toilets can be found in over 50% of government schools.

Source: Kaushik Chakravarthy, Deccan Herald, 18 Jan 2010

Tags: gender, school sanitation, south asia