`37% Delhi govt school toilets very dirty`

New Delhi: Thirty seven percent of toilets in the capital`s government schools are "very dirty" and in "subhuman" condition, a survey done by the NGO CRY has revealed.

The study by Child Rights and You (CRY) Thursday said 318 toilets were scrutinised in 44 schools across the city and the situation was the worst in schools in the northwest, northeast and outer districts of Delhi. Interestingly, the survey revealed that 15 percent of the toilets in all the schools were reserved for staff and were much cleaner. "Due to the poor state of toilets, children of these schools have to urinate in the open," said the study. "Toilets reserved for school staff can`t be used by the students…the gates of these toilets remain locked. These toilets were cleaner," said the study. Further, despite most schools having permanent staff for cleaning toilets, only 39 percent did their job while the remaining 61 percent toilets were cleaned twice or thrice a month, it said. The survey said 76 percent toilets had unhygienic and dirty water supplied in their taps while 21 percent had blocked sewerage or broken doors or cracked walls in need of immediate repairs. "India has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 21 years ago and introduced the Right To Education Act, (but) the above findings show that the dream of achieving a child friendly state is still far and how policies are being violated in government institutions itself." IANS