A Teacher in Tamil Nadu Builds Toilets so That Girls Don’t Have to Skip School

A teacher in a government school in Tamil Nadu was shocked to know that girls don’t use toilets in school as they are in a very poor and unhygienic condition. The girls therefore skip school during their periods and on other days control their bladder as they have no proper toilets. Satheesh Kumar , a teacher at Poovalur Government Higher Secondary school in Tiruchy was very concerned for the hapless girls and decided to help them out. He initially geared up to make repairs and renovations to the existing toilets, but soon found that his efforts are in vain as 135 students had only one toilet with four cubicles. Kumar realized that the girls used toilets at home just before coming to school at 8 am and would relieve themselves only after going home at 4 pm. He decided to build a new toilet with the award money of Rs 50,000 which he had recently won for best teacher. Many people pitched in with funds to help. He resorted to crowdfunding and received donations from people all over in India. Thanks to his dedicated efforts, the school this month inaugurated a swanky new toilet for girls and female staff which was built at a cost of 10.50 lakhs. The construction of the toilet began in January 2019 and it was ready in November. There are 14 toilets for the girls and four toilets for teachers while one toilet is for the differently-abled. The toilet which is built on an 820-sq. ft area is equipped with a washbasin, napkin vending machines and incinerators. The sensitive and compassionate nature of Satheesh Kumar led him to do a noble act. The girls of the government schools are happy beyond measure. One girl exclaimed that the new toilet is a huge relief for them as they no longer have to control their bladder for eight hours and can henceforth, regularly attend school.