Basic amenities missing in MCD schools: Survey

The least a school going student in the national capital can expect is a set time table and a games class.

The least a school going student in the national capital can expect is a set time table and a games class.

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Forget about this, what the students of 32 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) schools in east Delhi are getting, instead, are choked toilets and dirty water.

In a fact sheet released by voluntary organisation JOSH, it has been revealed that of the 32 schools surveyed as a pilot project, only seven had functional toilets. Also, only two of these 32 coeducation schools had separate toilets for boys and girls.

The survey is part of the social audit pilot that JOSH has undertaken in collaboration with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. The survey, conducted over three months, was carried out primarily in Trilokpuri and Kalyanpuri.

The report states, 26 out of 32 schools had inadequate and unhygienic drinking water facilities. “Though some schools had purifiers, they are not adequate to serve all the children,” said Aheli Chowdhury, founder, JOSH.

What is surprising is that none of the parents and children in the 32 schools had any idea about the time table to be followed each day.

“There are various other issues as well. None of the schools have any sports equipment or teachers for sports and music. There is no separate sports class in any of the schools,” Chowdhury added.

None of the schools had a functional library or a separate space for a library. There is no system to issue books to students and as such they are not allowed to take the books home.

Armed with a checklist, workers from the organisation went to each of the 32 schools to check if the school had adequate infrastructure.

The workers met teachers and the principal of every school. They also met 10% of the total number of students in each school and asked them questions individually.

After the data was complied, the results were discussed with the parents and community members.