Jammu: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today reviewed the status of availability and functionality of toilet facilities for girl students in government schools across J&K, and set a deadline of February 15 to ensure that all girls’ schools have functional toilets by that date.
The meeting was attended by the Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department (PWD), Secretary, School Education Department, the Directors of School Education, Chief Engineers, and other senior officers concerned.
During the review, the Chief Secretary, according to an official press release, assessed the infrastructure created under various schemes aimed at ensuring adequate sanitation facilities for girl students, emphasizing that access to clean and functional toilets is a critical factor in promoting attendance, retention and dignity of students in schools.
The Chief Secretary took a detailed assessment of the number of toilets constructed, those under execution and their present functional status. He stressed that mere creation of infrastructure is not sufficient and underlined the need to ensure that all existing toilets are fully functional, with assured water supply and other allied utilities.
Directing strict adherence to timelines, the Chief Secretary instructed that all ongoing works related to construction and upgradation of girls’ toilets must be completed by 15th February. He further asked the School Education Department to ensure that toilets already constructed are made operational in every respect well before the stipulated deadline.
To ensure effective implementation at the ground level, the Chief Secretary ordered the constitution of zone-level committees, comprising officers from both the School Education Department and the Roads & Buildings (R&B) Department. These committees will conduct joint inspections of schools to identify gaps, assess repair and improvement requirements, and oversee execution of necessary works to make the facilities fully functional.
The Chief Secretary underscored that access to clean and functional sanitation facilities is essential for creating a safe, inclusive and girl-friendly learning environment and called for close inter-departmental coordination and continuous monitoring to ensure timely completion and sustained maintenance of the facilities.
During the meeting, Additional Chief Secretary, PWD, Shri Anil Kumar Singh, informed that the department is committed to completing all assigned works within the prescribed timeframe. He added that in locations where conventional construction is not feasible within the deadline, prefabricated toilet structures will be installed to ensure availability of facilities well before the stipulated date.
Giving a detailed presentation, Secretary, School Education Department, Ram Niwas Sharma, informed that out of a total of 18,724 government schools across the Union Territory, 18,023 schools (99.25%) have toilet facilities. He further stated that 17,403 schools (92.29%) have separate toilets for girls, while just 1,321 schools (7.71%) are presently without such facilities.
It was also informed that construction of 265 girls’ toilets is currently under execution, while the remaining 1,056 schools without separate toilet facilities for girl students are being taken up in a time-bound manner. These works will be completed before the start of the academic session in winter-zone areas and by 15th February in summer-zone schools across the Union Territory.
