School environment and sanitation in rural India

Context : A school child educated about the benefits of sanitation and good hygiene behavior is a conduit for carrying those messages far beyond the school walls, bringing lasting improvement to community hygienic practices. Aims : To study the status of school environment and sanitation in rural India. Settings and Design: Government schools in rural Karnataka, cross sectional study. Materials and Methods: Twenty schools were randomly selected for the study. Informed consent was taken from the Heads of the schools. A pre tested close ended questionnaire was used to get the information. The minimum standards for sanitation of the school and its environment in India were used as the guiding principles to evaluate the appropriateness/adequacy of the various attributes. Statistical analysis used: Percentages and proportions. Results : Out of 20 schools selected, one fourth of the schools were located/sited at inappropriate places. Only half of the schools had appropriate/adequate structure. Eighteen (90%) of the schools were overcrowded. Ventilation and day light was adequate for 12(60%) and 14(70%) of the schools respectively. Cleanliness of school compound/classrooms was adequate in 80% of the schools. There were no separate rooms for serving the midday meals in any of the schools under study. Eighteen (90%) of the schools were having drinking water points. Liquid and solid waste disposal was insanitary in six (30%) and eight (40%) of the schools respectively. Only half of the schools had adequate latrines for boys and 60% for girls. Only two (10%) of the schools had adequate hand washing points with soap. Conclusions : Environment and sanitation facilities at many of the schools are not fully satisfactory.