Jalandhar MP visits schools, announces grant of र4 lakh to build toilets for girls
JALANDHAR: After Hindustan Times highlighted the problems faced by girl students in government schools of the district due to non-availability of toilets on Monday, local member of Parliament (MP) Chaudhary Santokh Singh visited two city schools.
Accompanied by Congress workers, Chaudhary reached the Mithu Basti Government High School in the morning which has 600 students but no separate toilet for girls. He announced a grant of 2 lakh from his MPLAD funds to construct toilets for girls.
The MP also visited the Government Primary School in Harnamdaspura and expressed surprise at how girls were managing without separate toilets. Girls are forced to wait in long queues with boys as the school had only one toilet. The MP announced a grant of 2 lakh for toilets in the school.
Speaking to HT after his visit, Chaudhary Santokh Singh said it was disheartening that the Punjab government had failed to provide basic facilities like toilets for girls in the schools but was talking about developing airports and flyovers.
The MP blamed the ruling SADBJP government for its poor fiscal condition that had led to its failure in contributing its share to central schemes like the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).
He also alleged that the state government had not given its share of funds in the SSA scheme and schools had failed to receive a single paisa
I WILL WRITE TO THE CHIEF MINISTER AND THE HRD MINISTRY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS FACED BY GIRLS IN SCHOOLS AND REQUEST THEM TO DO THE NEEDFUL AT THE EARLIEST
CHAUDHARY SANTOKH SINGH, MP
after a grant of 35,000 per school for building toilets in 2003-04.
He asked the district education officers (DEOs) to give a status report of toilets in all government schools in his parliamentary constituency within a week.
Chaudhary said, “I will write to the chief minister and the union ministry of human resource development about the problems faced by girls in schools and request them to do the needful at the earliest.”
He said workers of the Congress would also visit schools and give a detailed report to him so that he could plan the utilisation of MPLAD funds.
“I have assured the girls that I will raise the issue in Parliament so that the government can take note of their problems,” he added.
Non- availability of toilets in schools has also led to absenteeism and eventually increased the dropout rate among children, especially girls. A survey of the HRD ministry has declared Jalandhar the worst district in Punjab in terms of separate toilets for girls.