Bhubaneswar: At least 441 Government schools in the State are without girls’ toilets as per 2017-2018 data, the Odisha Assembly was informed on Wednesday.
As per the provision of the RTE Act, 2009 which inter alia states that every school building should have separate toilets for boys and girls in the country.
Planning and Convergence, Commerce and Transport Minister Padmanav Behera, who was replying on behalf of School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash, further informed the Assembly that 1,485 State-run schools also have no toilets for boys.
“As per the data 2017-18, the girls toilet have been constructed in 53,763 schools and boys toilet in 52,521 schools out of total 54,298 State-run schools,” informed the Minister.
The Minister, however, informed the House that drinking water facilities are available in all the schools in the State.
Both opposition BJP and Congress members strongly slammed the Naveen Patnaik Government over lack of sanitation for girl students in State-run schools and demanded immediate compliance of the RTE provisions.