Swachh Vidyalaya programme: Increased emphasis on sanitation results in 11% increase in school attendance

MUMBAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious project to promote sanitation and hygiene across the country — Swachh Bharat Abhiyan — has had its first brush with success. According to a survey, the findings of which have been shared exclusively with TOI, this has resulted in an 11 per cent increase in school attendance in the past one year.

PM Modi's speech on August 15 last year had brought up the critical issue of toilets, and the need to end open defecation in the country. This led to a surge in efforts by India Inc, NGOs and various ministries to provide toilets and other basic sanitation facilities.

Of the 4,17,796 toilets that the Swachh Vidyalaya programme aimed to build in a year, over 98 per cent have been completed.

In his speech last year, Modi had said, "I want to make a beginning today itself, and that is — all schools in the country should have separate toilets for girls. Only then will our daughters not be compelled to leave school midway ... this target should be finished within one year with the help of state governments, and on the next August 15, we should be in a firm position to announce that there is no school in India without separate toilets for boys and girls."

Strategic philanthropy foundation Dasra says that 23 per cent of girls drop out of school once they reach puberty, while those that remain miss an average of five days of school a month during menstruation. India is said to lose 6.4 per cent of its GDP ($53 billion) every year due to lack of toilets and sanitation in schools.

While offering subsidies, Modi called for corporate entities and private sector to bring in their resources and expertise in managing large-scale projects, while maximizing impact and efficiency. The government offered Rs 15,000 for an individual toilet, Rs 20,000 for every Aanganwadi toilet and Rs 54,000 for a school toilet complex.

For the report, Dasra identified six innovative organizations working to improve sanitation infrastructure in schools — Gramalaya, Nidan, Sulabh International, UMC, Vatsalya and Water for People.