One toilet for girls, none for boys!

By Y. Maheshwara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: “This building is like hell.”  That’s a testimony from a  teacher at a BBMP school  in Gandhinagar, where  40 girl students share one  toilet while the boys make  do with a public restroom  off campus. What’s more,  the flush in the girl’s toilet  doesn’t even work – it’s a  horrifying experience for  the girls and the female faculty. Students and teachers  spend every day with their  hearts in their mouths,  worried the building might  actually collapse around  them. When it rains, water  drips from the leaky roof,  making the floor slippery.

Trouble begann for the students and faculty at a corporation  school in Gandhinagar when the  BBMP decided to renovate their  campus. They were moved next  door, to the All India Institute of  Local Self-Government. About a  year ago, the BBMP finished its  renovation work, at a cost of Rs 2  crore. However, for reasons best  known to them, the school hasn’t  been allowed to return to its  original premises. “How do they expect so many  girls to share a single toilet,”  demanded one student. “The  flush doesn’t even work. The  BBMP needs to shift us back to  our building, which is ready for  occupation,” she said.

“We don’t allow the boys to  use the toilet, it’s only for the  girls,” confirmed a teacher, on  condition of anonymity. “The  boys go to a public restroom off  campus. However, the situation  is made worse by the fact that  outsiders use the toilet at night  as there is no security guard Entering the class room on  the first floor requires great  caution. When it rains, water  drips from the leaky roof,  making the floor slippery. The  water has also seeped into the  walls. “The wall charts and  books have all been damaged and  the building’s cellar is filled with  rainwater,” a teacher revealed.
Child Rights activist  Nagasimha G. Rao says the  BBMP authorities should have  consulted the students before  shifting the high school to the All  India Institute of Local SelfGovernance. “The failure to  ensure basic amenities to the  students is a violation of their  basic rights. The health of the  students could be adversely  affected if they are allowed to  use public toilets.”

Suresh Kumar, former  minister for Primary and  Secondary Education told News Trail that he was not aware of  the school in question. “BBMP  authorities did not take the state  education department’s  permission before they renovated or even when they decided  to shift the school to another  building. I will visit the place,”  he said.

Meanwhile, BBMP Special  Commissioner for Education  Reddy Shankar Babu Bagepalli  has promised to look into the  matter. “I will visit the high  school. Thanks for informing me  about the condition of the  building,’’ said the BBMP  Special Commissioner.