Skipped your shower? Now, take a bath at school

Students who come to this government-run primary school in Lucknow without taking a shower are made to bathe on its premises

At this government-run primary school in Sarojini Nagar, the students begin their day with the morning prayer: “Tan Ho Sundar, Man Ho Sundar, Prabhu Mera Jeevan Ho Sundar.”

This initiative was made possible by a group of five to six students from different universities and degree colleges, who run a campaign called Innovation For Change (IFC). (Deepak Gupta/Hindustan Times)

Soon afterwards, they are made to follow the prayer quite literally. Students who have come without taking a bath are identified, and made to take a shower using a hosepipe on the school premises itself. Soap and towels are provided, and the students’ nails, nose and ears checked. While boys are made to take off their shirt and trousers, girls are taken to a separate location and only made to wash their hair.

This initiative was made possible by a group of five to six students from different universities and degree colleges, who run a campaign called Innovation For Change (IFC). Harshit Singh, IFC president and a final-semester student of Masters in Social Work at the University of Lucknow, works voluntarily with other members of his group at this school.

Students are also happy with this initiative. Ankit and Shiva, both Class 2 students, say, “We got up late today. We just rushed to the school without taking a bath and were caught by the volunteers. But it was fun taking a shower with friends on the school campus.”

Over ₹1.5 lakh raised as donation

Until the last academic session, the students had no furniture and were forced to sit on the floor. IFC volunteers raised over ₹1.5 lakh through donations to remedy this.

“Raj Smriti, writer and founder of FolkTales, helped us generate money by roping in people through her Facebook page. We were happy to see that several individuals contributed up to ₹10,000 each,” said Harshit.

Using that money, the volunteers bought colourful tables and benches. Jyoti Rai and Anmesha, both Class 4 students, said, “Things have changed for the better ever since this young group of people started coming to our school. We sit on benches now. We also attend school regularly.”

As there were was no proper drinking water facility at the school, IFC volunteers installed a submersible water pump. “We are in the process of installing interlocking tiles on the school premises, so that water does not accumulate during the rainy season. We have also raised the height of boundary wall, so outsiders are unable to enter the school to urinate or defecate,” said Harshit.

“We are not here to interfere with the teaching process, which is mostly being done by para-teachers. We carry out parallel activities in the school to ensure that students remain healthy,” said Vishal Kannojiya, secretary of the IFC and a final-semester student of MSW at the Shakuntala Misra University.

Things didn’t change overnight

Last November, IFC members began their mission after zeroing in on this school. They found that several students used to come to class without taking a bath, and it was starting to affect their health. “So, when the new session began in April, such students were coaxed to do it on the school premises,” said Ashish Kumar, an undergraduate student of the Jai Narain PG College.

School principal Sudha Srivastava can’t stop praising these volunteers, who are working hard to bring about change. Officials of the basic education department are also delighted to see the positive change that can be brought about through public participation, and want to replicate the model at all government schools.

Welcome initiative

Joint director (basic education) Lalita Pradeep described it as a wonderful initiative. “My heart goes out to all the members of Innovation For Change (IFC) and FolkTales who were so concerned about the well being of these government school students, their health and hygiene,” she said.

She has also asked others to take similar steps, thereby helping government-run schools function better.

Members of the IFC recently felicitated those who helped them collect ₹1.5 lakh for the cause. They also produced a balance sheet, so donors could better understand how the money was utilised.