More than twelve years after the Supreme Court mandated separate toilets for girl students in Indian schools, only Goa, Delhi, Chandigarh, and Puducherry have fully met this requirement. Recent data submitted to the Supreme Court reveals that various northeastern states and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) still fall short of the national compliance average of 98%. The Supreme Court initially issued this directive in 2011 and has reiterated its importance multiple times, highlighting that access to separate toilet facilities can significantly improve girls’ school attendance. Following a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Jaya Thakur, the court requested a detailed status report regarding the availability of such facilities and the provision of sanitary pads in schools.
The Union government reported to the Supreme Court that approximately 97.5% of schools nationwide, including government, government-aided, and private institutions, now have separate toilets for girls. Among the regions that have achieved full compliance with the Supreme Court’s order are Delhi, Goa, Chandigarh, and Puducherry. States like West Bengal and Tamil Nadu reported nearly complete compliance, with separate toilets for girls in 99.9% and 99.7% of their schools, respectively. Other states approaching full compliance include Kerala, Gujarat, Punjab, and Sikkim, all showing rates above 99%. Major states such as Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar also recorded high compliance rates, all above 98%.
However, the northeastern states continue to lag behind the national average. For instance, Meghalaya has only 81.8% of schools with separate toilets for girls, while Manipur and Assam report 87% and 88.5%, respectively. Other northeastern states, including Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh, show compliance rates ranging from 90.6% to 93%. In Jammu & Kashmir, 89.2% of schools have separate toilets for girls, indicating progress but still falling short of the national standard. The Centre also noted that under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, over 16 lakh toilets for boys and 17.5 lakh toilets for girls have been funded in more than 10 lakh government schools. Additionally, concerning the recent directive for providing sanitary pads to adolescent girls, the Centre reported that 19 of the 35 states and Union Territories are offering them for free, while others provide them at subsidized rates or through direct fund transfers.
Post Your Comments