Dropout because of non available of water sanitation hygiene in India
India's water and sanitation crisis:
Out of its population
of 1.3 billion people, 91 million people (6% of the population) lack access to
safe water, and 746 million people (54%) lack access to safely managed
household sanitation facilities. Current challenges include extreme water
stress, contaminated surface water and lack of access to piped water supply.
The effects from climate change like droughts and rising sea levels also affect
access to safe water and sanitation for families in India.
These factors, combined with the current initiative by the Government of India to provide tap water connections to every household by 2024, have created unprecedented urgency to implement effective solutions to increase access to safe water and sanitation.
Impact of this crisis on education:
Education for girls in
India depends on a multitude of factors. Factors like safety, transportation,
social stigmas and perceptions all play a role in determining whether or not a
girl gets educated. Aside from having schools that are accessible to girls,
specific challenges that girls face while receiving an education need to be
addressed. One such factor is the existence of WASH in educational spaces.
A lack of WASH in
educational spaces directly impacts if a girl will attend school or college. It
has been well documented that many girls, especially in rural areas, do not
have access to schools with washrooms or drinking water.
In March, education
minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said that more than 15,000 government schools do not
have toilets, and more than 42,000 do not have access to drinking water.
Studies have also shown that even in schools, many are unusable, locked, or had
no separate facilities for girls. Further, a 2020 CAG (Comptroller and Auditor
General) report found that 55% of government schools did not have basic
hand-washing facilities.
Due to this, girls
routinely drop out of school. A 2015 report by Dasra says that 23% of girls
drop out of school after reaching puberty because of inadequate sanitation,
water, or toilets. WASH in women’s education requires an understanding of how
it impacts different aspects of girls’ lives, thereby determining whether or
not they can or will continue their studies.
Lack of Awareness
Lack of awareness
makes for a major problem in India’s menstrual hygiene scenario. Indian Council
for Medical Research’s 2011-12 report stated that only 38 per cent menstruating
girls in India spoke to their mothers about menstruation. Many mothers were
themselves unaware what menstruation was, how it was to be explained to a
teenager and what practices could be considered as menstrual hygiene
management. Schools were not very helpful either as schools in rural areas
refrained from discussing menstrual hygiene. A 2015 survey by the Ministry of
Education found that in 63% schools in villages, teachers never discussed
menstruation and how to deal with it in a hygienic manner.
Menstruation
Another crucial aspect
of girls’ health that determines their school participation is menstruation and
if toilets, sanitation, water, and other related facilities are available to
accommodate them. Most girls drop out of school when they begin their period or
do not attend the days they get their period because of unsatisfactory
infrastructure and menstrual waste management.
Schools that do have
toilets must maintain a sanitised and hygienic environment since poor menstrual
management can lead to health issues like UTI’s (which can create kidney
problems), genital tract infections, bacterial vaginosis, alteration in pH
balance of secretions, etc.
The need for schools
to engage with menstruation among adolescent girls goes beyond the existence of
washrooms. Schools also need to educate their students about menstruation and
work to dismantle the connotations and stigma around it. This will further
encourage girls to attend school and will enable them to better contribute to
themselves and society.
What can you do to help solve this problem?
Accelerate sanitation
coverage in rural areas. Generate a push from the people to get facilities
rather than expect the Government to do it (demand-led promotion). Focus on
intensive education and awareness campaigns to ensure that people understand
the need for safe sanitation.
Another way to solve this problem is to donate money
How can you donate money?
Our organization helps young people in areas of India . We will do
everything to solve this problem
HEEALS We believe that
by starting small and working with one community at a time, we can begin to
make changes that will spread gradually throughout India, all the while working
hard to create and maintain a self-sustaining society. We aim to facilitate the
fulfilment of the millennium development goals, set out by the United Nations,
by ensuring that every household in India has unimpeded access to proper WASH
facilities.
Email:communications@heeals.org
Whatsapp :
+91-7982316660
Used links:
https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2021/07/why-wash-is-needed-for-girls-education-in-india/
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