Equity in School Water and Sanitation

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EQUITY IN SCHOOL WATER AND SANITATIONwere wet and cold after this assignment. Theywere observed to be shivering in wet clothes afterwashing toilets and watering the plants. Facilitiesfor them to dry themselves and change clothesdo not exist. In some of the schools it was noticedthat while some children cleaned the toilets, othersswept the classrooms, some fetched drinkingwater, while some others filled water utensils fortoilets.In contrast, in the schools where the facilities werenot well maintained and were found to be very dirtyor unusable, there was no system formaintenance; availability of water for toilets wasalso a problem. Among the teachers/headteachers, there was little ownership of thewater and sanitation facilities in the school. Thesewere all left to the attention of the village pradhan.Most of the households in such villages did nothave toilets and open defecation was common. Inone school the community used the school toiletsand messed them up. There was no boundary walland the area was littered with garbage.The situation in one village in Lalitpur sums upthe complex situation on the ground: 25In the primary school, the children carried waterin buckets from a hand pump across the roadfor washing hands. The toilet was used onlyoccasionally by children in order to savethemselves the trouble of carrying water forcleaning it. There was no drainage for waterdisposal from the kitchen and a pool of stagnantwater could be seen. Children carried theirmidday meal to their homes as there was nowater for washing plates in the school. Somechildren carried water in bottles for drinking inschool; others went to the hand pump acrossthe road. While the campus has some plantsand flowering bushes, the overall environmentwas not clean.The upper primary school in the same villagewas no different. The hand pump wasdysfunctional and the children went to a publichand pump for drinking water. The school hastwo toilets for boys and girls; they lookedunkempt and old and were not used by thechildren. Garbage was thrown everywhere,there were no dustbins visible anywhere andthere was no system for garbage disposal.There were no toilets for teachers. Water level(for hand pumps) goes down in summer andthe children have to carry water to the schoolfrom their homes. While the children are awarethat they must wash their hands before eating,there was no soap or water. Forward castechildren did not eat the midday meals providedby the school.Recently, the parents of forward caste childrenprotested as they did not want all the childrento draw water from the same earthen pot usedfor water storage. The headteacher, a Muslim,tried to find a solution and asked the forwardcaste children to pour water for Dalit children(children drink by cupping their hands intowhich water is poured by another child).Menstruating girls were absent from school for3–4 days every month. In case of emergencies,they take leave on the pretext of havingstomach aches.The dynamics of constructing and maintainingdrinking water and toilet facilities are complex,especially in villages where several communitieslive together, though in clearly segregatedsettlements. In the absence of a total sanitationcampaign and a movement for social equality, theschools mirror the village. As evident in Table 9,the situation in the schools in Mirzapur could beattributed to TSC in the district, where the villageheads take an active interest in improving theoverall environment in the village, and influencethis practice in schools. However, in Lalitpur, noteven one village head was observed to be involvedin the overall cleanliness and health of the school.While there are socio-economic and geographicalfactors which contribute to the better outcomes inMirzapur district, one apparent reason is the socialconstruct of the two regions – in Mirzapur, thevillage caste composition was comparativelyhomogenous and the dominant community wasprimarily OBC. On the other hand, in Lalitpur thecaste dynamics were more visible and alive, whichhave a direct influence on the school system,including level of involvement/interest of the villagepradhan in the school.25We are not disclosing the name of the village in accordance with the principle of confidentiality.20
Overcoming Exclusion and Discrimination in South AsiaIndia Country ReportEqually, in the specific context of a schoolsanitation programme, lack of ownership of theprogramme among the teachers and educationaladministration also creates its own dynamics.Where the teachers have a greater sense ofownership, they provide leadership whichovercomes caste and other local dynamics.Ownership alone is not adequate and if the schoolhas a dynamic leader, it becomes a model forothers.4.3 Two Case Studies4.3.1 Promising practiceMS1 is now a Nirmal Gram located in Rajgarhblock of Mirzapur district. A tour of the villagepresents an overall positive picture encompassingclosed drains, well-used garbage bins, handpumps with platforms and proper drainage forwaste water, enclosed bathing shelters for women,public urinals for men and clean, litter-free villageTable 9 Work children do in school (N=12 in both districts)Number of sampleschoolsLalitpur MirzapurRemarks LalitpurRemarks MirzapurChildren sweepclassrooms and schoolcampus1110In some schools only classroomsare cleaned by children and notthe ground. In 2PS and 2 UPSonly classrooms, 1PS onlyveranda + courtyardSweep rooms, playground, dustand clear garbage. In 2 UPSchildren only pick up litter and in1PS cleaning is done randomlyAll children participate incleaning campus andclassrooms1110While all children participate incleaning, the nature of dutiesassigned differs by genderThose who sweep miss morningassembly. They sweep/dust/filldrinking water etc. Boys sweepplaygrounds and girls sweepclassroomSelective participation42Boys participate in maintenancework – cleaning tanks,flowerbeds, checking/fetchingwater from a distanceThose not good in studies givencleaning duties. Subtlediscrimination in duties assignedobserved (including in UPSwhere a long absentee child wasselected for cleaning)Children clean toilets88Most schools have toilets beingused as urinals, children pourwater to clean, they do notphysically handle a broom orbrushClasses 1–2 excluded in someschoolsAll children participate incleaning toilets66Those who use toilets pourwater, children clean toilets/urinals used by teachersSC and marginalized groupsassigned this duty, children from‘good families’ exempted, ‘notgood in studies’ assigned dutyPaid sweeper cleans oncea week/occasionally34No budget in PS/UPS orsecondary schools to appointsweeper. Used occasionally inone higher secondary collegeNo budget in PS/UPS andsecondary schools to appointsweeperHeadteacher/teachersassign duties/formcommittees116Headteacher and teachers play acrucial role, both negative andpositiveHeadmaster or teachers play acrucial role, even where there isa children’s forumChildren decide whoparticipates – forums55Forums just conceptualized –mostly in UPS (only 1PS)Bal Sansads work underguidance of teachers.Village head overseessanitation issues inschools06Village heads not engaged inschoolsNirmal Gram pradhan orhusband of the pradhan takeskeen interestExclusion observed64SC (including Sahariya) andMuslim children excluded fromfilling/serving drinking water,upper caste teacher andstudents do not take water fromSC and Muslim childrenSC children ‘not good in studies’assigned work, genderdifferences in duties assigned,children from vocal/influentialfamilies exempt from toiletcleaningNote: In Mirzapur one of the sample schools was very small and no activity was evident21
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