For the girl students of many a government school in the district, the lack of proper toilet facilities is a major problem. Apart from facing embarassment of lack of privacy, they have to face the threat from stalkers as they are forced to answer nature’s call in the open near to their school premises.

Four years ago, a girl student of the Government Primary School in Pagidala was harassed by a stalker when she went to answer nature’s call in the open. In another incident, an SSC student had to face a similar situation in Malyala village of Nandikotkur mandal.

In a recent incident, two students drowned when they went for nature’s call near an open drain. For these students, there is a facility of a toilet in their school but they are not in a position to use them as there is no water facility.

Hundreds of schools across the district are  badly managed, thanks to non-existent toilet facilities. The existing number of toilets in most of the schools are insufficient, complain students.

When Express visited Dhone Zilla Parishad girls high school, the girl students complained that they have no toilet facility. A bathroom was constructed but it is not functioning due to lack of water.

Their toilet needs were not looked after properly like inadequate water for washing, soap, lack of privacy, non-functioning or insufficient toilets.

This reduces attendance of girls in schools and is an obstacle for girls’ education as adolescent girls are often remain absent from school due to these reasons. The students complained that the unhygienic condition of the toilets in the school and college is a major cause of worry and the repeated requests given by them fall on deaf ears of authorities.

“We don’t demand the most advanced toilet facilities, but at least a clean and ventilated room with sufficient amounts of water and other essentials. But we are deprived of that too,” said K Latha, Class 8 student, ZPHS, Dhone.

She said the condition of the only toilet in her school is pathetic and unhygienic. “Using this toilet is like going to hell due the unbearable stink and unhygienic conditions. As we are left with no other option, we use these toilets cursing our predicament,” she added.

“Over 1150 students are studying in this school and we have only one urinal and toilet to use which is not properly functioning,” said Suseela, another student from same school.

Bharathi, a Class 8 student of the same school, says, “Some girls rather urinate near the compound walls than use the toilets”. They attend to nature’s call in the open along with pigs which regularly stray onto the school premises.

S Uma Devi, headmaster of the Government Girls High School, Dhone, says that it is becoming highly difficult for both girl students and women staff to overcome the shortage of toilets.

District educational officer DV Suprakash said funds have been set apart for construction of toilets in schools. “Gradually, we will make this a reality. We will solve the problem in all schools very soon,” he said.

K Vijaya Baskhar Yadav, BC teachers’ union district president, working at Bastipadu government school, said that though there are many schools that claim to have toilets, most of them are found to be useless. Either there is no water in the toilets or they are locked and most of the bathrooms got damaged due to poor construction quality, he said.