No loos lead to girls dropping out, says study
Sixty per cent of BMCschools do not have proper toilets, some have no water in restrooms…….Sumitra Deb Roy
Civic schools are a breeding ground for gynaecological diseases. A study has found it as the main reason behind girls leaving schools after Std. V.
A study by Mumbai Municipal Teacher’s Union (MMTU) found 60% of the 1,177 BMC schools did not have proper toilets. A few had poorly maintained toilets with no water.
The study was conducted as part of the Adolescent Girls Health Education Programme started by MMTU in 2004. Teachers came to know of the dismal sanitary conditions after visiting 800 municipal and 500 private schools.
Several girls end up with urinary tract infection and irregular menses. The estimated drop-out rate in civic schools between Stds. V and VII is 50%. “In a city like Mumbai, infrastructure in many schools is primitive,” project director of MMTU Ramesh Joshi said.
Joshi said several schools started health education for girls from Std. VIII when most of them reached puberty by the time they were in Std. V. “The situation is bad in some private schools, too, where there are common toilets for boys and girls,” he said.
“Girls don’t go to toilets for 8-10 hours leading to urinary infections and stomach ailments,” project co-ordinator Shilpa Naik said.
She said a girl’s school in Kurla had over 2,000 students but not one functional toilet. “Girls are forced use toilets in residential societies in the neighbourhood,” she said.
The team of 125 teachers found that many girls did not have any idea about reproductive health. “It’s unfair to blame students when some teachers don’t know the use of sanitary napkins,’ Naik said.
Deputy education officer of BMC Abha Jadhav said he was aware of the problem. “We will do something about it,” he said.