In viral images showing the pathetic condition of a government school in a village in Karnataka, a long piece of cloth — a saree — tied end to end serves as a wall for an "open toilet" for the children.
This semblance of privacy is all that the students, seven girls and six boys, have as the toilet building damaged many years ago remains unusable. For water, they have an open tank, a bucket and a mug — all in what is supposed to be a playground.
The school is in a hamlet called Elige in Baruve village, about 140 kilometres from the district headquarters of Shivamogga, 60 km from the nearest town, Sagar.
The old toilet building is now a garbage dump.
After the photos went viral, the Deputy Director of Public Instructions in Shivamogga, Parameshwarappa, said "amenities will be provided to the school" after the district officials file a report on the condition of the school.
School authorities have asked the children to use the "open toilet" as the damaged building has not been repaired for years. Villagers, who did not want to be named, said the issue was raised before the district administration and the education department several times, but things have not changed.
