Karnataka: Victory for activist as govt earmarks 100 cr to restore school toilets

Bengaluru: In his budget speech on March 8, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced allocation of Rs 100 crore for upgrading crumbling toilets in schools and colleges. "In the current year Rs 50 crore will be provided for this purpose. A grant of Rs 150 crore will be ear-marked for providing infrastructure facilities in high schools and pre-university colleges. Similarly, Rs 50 crore will be earmarked for supplying furniture and learning equipment in government schools," the CM said.

Welcoming the long overdue move, Archana K R, an activist who has been in the forefront of raising the issues of lack of clean toilets in schools, said that the huge sum would be spent over two years to upgrade toilets and provide water facilities in all 49,000 plus government schools in Karnataka.

"Panchayath Raj institutions will be accountable for managing this exercise. This is the first time the government announced a separate budget to upgrade government school toilets. For the past 7 to 8 years I've been working with the government schools on sanitation issues. During my visit I interviewed many school authorities and children and they said there was no separate budget for toilet maintenance," Archana said.

She found that while some schools depended on donors for maintaining and building toilets, others didn't not give any importance to such basic amenity.

"This is the reason why 64% of the government school toilets are not in usable condition. March 8 carries significance for me as seven years of sheer hard work culminated in a positive development. This one is the most amazing gifts I have received," she told The Hans India.

She visited Vidhana Soudha on several occasions in an attempt to meet Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar but to no avail. However, Kumar ensured that the issue would be given importance.

Her online campaign gathered more than 57,000 signatories.

"I dedicate the victory especially to the girls I worked with at Rajajinagar government school and the children studying in rural government schools, especially the young girls who are working on their own to solve sanitation issues in their villages," an elated Archana said.

Her findings also revealed how students in some rural areas in Karnataka were forced to go for open defecation.

"In Bengaluru at least schools have toilets but in rural areas children go for open defecation," she added. "In Bangalore some donors supported govt schools but it's no use since water connection was not given to many toilets. In rural areas most of the lavatories are in a dilapidated condition. The structures are old and broken," Archana pointed out.