Open defecation not only increases the risk of disease, but is also a serious concern for the safety of women and especially schoolgirls. When there are no proper sanitation facilities for female students in schools, their health is also negatively affected. Keeping this in mind, in recent years toilets have been built in schools especially for female students.
Recently, in response to a public interest litigation (PIL), the central government told the Supreme Court that more than 97.5% of schools in India now have separate toilets for girls. These data show that the government, private and government-aided schools across the country have taken important steps to ensure hygiene and privacy of girls.
Many states have made significant progress. States and union territories like Delhi, Goa and Puducherry have achieved the 100% target, which means that all schools in these areas have separate toilets for girls. Similarly, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh have also performed impressively, where 99.9% and 98.8% of schools have this facility. Tamil Nadu (99.7%), Kerala (99.6%) and Gujarat (99.5%) are also close to full compliance.
Situation remains weak in Jammu and Kashmir
There has also been improvement in other states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, where the availability of toilets for female students is 98.7%, 98.6% and 98%. However, the situation is still a bit weak in the northeastern states and in Jammu and Kashmir, where only 89.2% of schools have this service.
Despite these challenges, the national average has now reached 98%. This shows a significant improvement in the infrastructure of the schools, thanks to which efforts to provide a clean and safe environment for female students are succeeding. This is the result of concrete measures taken by the government to prioritize the health and safety of women and girls across the country.
