Nuagaon: Absence of toilets in a 70-year old school in Nuagaon block of Sundargarh district has resulted in the death of a girl student of the school.
The incident happened when three girls of Barilepta Mission Primary School at Gudaguda village under Barilepta panchayat of Nuagaon block in Sundargarh district Tuesday wanted to relieve themselves after having their mid-day meals. Since the school did not have a toilet, the three were forced to run to a nearby canal to answer the call of nature.
It was learnt that the canal was located half a kilometer from the school. Sneha Tirkey’s (Class VI) feet slipped in the water body while she was trying to wash herself. Her two friends shouted for help. When they did not get any help they ran to the school to inform others.
Teachers and students in the school tried to resurrect the child, but it was too late. She was rushed to a community health centre in Bisra, about 25 km from the school, but the doctor declared her brought dead.
Reacting to this, head mistress Sunita Lakra said, “I was not present in the school on the day of the mishap and had gone out for school work”. Father of the deceased, Arjun Tirkey, has blamed the death of his child on the unavailability of toilet facility in the school.
An unnatural death case was filed in Bisra police station. Police are investing the case.
Even as the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 mandates authorities to provide toilets in schools, nobody cares for the norms.
The Supreme Court has ruled that all schools must have separate toilets for boys and girls. The court’s ruling had also made it clear that these were integral to the RTE Act, 2009.
The management of this school is in the hands of the Mission School Managing Committee and its unit secretary Anil Tete is the father of Barilepta church. Moreover, the school is a governmental-aided school that gets mid-day meal assistance from the government. However, the 70-year old school doesn’t have a toilet on its premises.
PNN
