Toilets - World & School

Recently there was an article (news item) in Khaleej Times. The heading goes "World needs to build 100,000 toilets a day". And the matter relates to the basic sanitation issue. Then I just thought about our school and the complaints many of my friends having about the toilets in the school. Recently I met a friend in an MNC who joined the same from Bombay. I checked with him about Salalah and his shift from Bombay etc, etc. He is quite happy on all matters except the school. Even though he is not much concerned about the quality of education, he is really afraid about the hygiene aspects in the school. This view is echoed by many parents also. Most of them say they have directly and indirectly brought this matter to the notice of the school authorities but without any result.

Education is not just the knowledge gaining in some subjects, it is overall knowledge gaining process also which makes a human being – a social being. Hygiene is one important element in that making. Toilets condition in the school, they say is pathetic. And many students do not dare to visit it. That gives a wrong message. I used to joke that if a person having a desire to visit toilet is given an option to have a toilet or one crore rupees, he would opt for the toilet only. Stopping the call of the nature according to our wish is one of the impossible tasks for a human being. Then the case of students is a very sorry case.

In my experience from different parts of the world, whatever your race, nationality or background – toilet is a messy place unless it kept clean and continuously maintained. The deterioration in the condition is 4.7 times faster when the usage is multiplied by 2 (WHO statistics). Kids coming in a specific time (break time) and started using the same with the least regard to the next who has to come (because they have the urgency to go to play or eat) and do not take care of the messy thing they do. This is where the education should take care of their attitude building. After all a social being is not one cares for themselves but for others also and that makes a society.

Hope the school would take it seriously.. hope is a good word always ………………..