New Delhi:
The Supreme Court today directed all schools across the country to provide basic infrastructure facilities like drinking water and toilets to school children. The order was passed on a petition filed by an NGO Environmental and Consumer Protection Foundation.
A bench headed by Justice K S Radhakrishnan, in its order, said all schools, including private government, will have to implement the order within six months and failure to implement will be viewed seriously. The court also directed the petitioner to move court for action against faulting schools.
The Supreme Court had been issuing directions to government schools to provide basic facilities to school children and had said that girl students are not sent to school at certain places because of lack of toilet facilities.
The court had also observed that not providing the infrastructure was a violation of the right to free and compulsory education of children guaranteed under Article 21-A of the Constitution.
Today, the court said that the existing directions on providing permanent infrastructure will have to be implemented within six months and will apply to all schools, either private or government.
(
With inputs from PTI)