3 washrooms for 2,800 girls: Coimbatore school students suffer

There are only three toilets for the 2,800 students of the Coimbatore Cloth Merchant Association (CCMA) Government Girls Higher Secondary School. These too are in poor condition and not cleaned properly or regularly, according to the students.

Because of this, many students relieve themselves only after they return home.“There are 2,800 girls studying from classes 1-12 in the school. But we have only three toilets. Even then, the school authorities do maintain them properly due to a shortage of sanitary workers,” said a tenth standard student who did not want to be named. Those girls who relieve themselves at school do so in the unhygienic toilets. Others wait till they return home. Both pose a health risk.

Moreover, students unable to concentrate on their studies due to the stench from the toilets.“We could not sit in the classroom because of the smell. When we complained about it, the headmaster shifted us to another classroom nearby,” said a student.“As the toilets are dirty, some relive themselves only after getting home after school. We told the class teacher about our problem. We requested that the toilets be cleaned every day, but nothing has been done,” she added. Asked about it, Headmaster R Maniarasu agreed that the school did not have enough toilets for all students.“We have requested private organisations to contribute money to construct a toilet. We have closed one toilet as the structure has become weak and it may collapse at any time,” he said. However, Maniarasu claimed that the toilets were being cleaned properly. “We have enough workers and they are cleaning the toilets regularly,” he said.