Health of students in private schools

Health of students in private schools at stake
Rawalpindi: A number of schools particularly operating in private sector across the district have been providing unsafe drinking water to students while operating in unhygienic condition.

Many health experts believe that consumption of unsafe drinking water at the schools might cause huge damage to students' health. It is also observed that most of the private schools do not follow standard operating procedures on the subject of hygienic condition as the washrooms there are not cleaned up to the standards.

A good number of parents of the students studying at private educational institutions in the city area also complain of the poor hygienic condition at schools adding the educational institutions seldom care for provision of clean drinking water to students.

"All private schools registered with the government need a fitness certificate on hygienic condition every year, which is given after testing quality of drinking water and examining hygienic condition," said District Health Officer Dr. Khalid Randhawa on the subject on Thursday. He, however, admitted that many private schools do not work properly throughout the year for provision of clean drinking water to students.

He said that the district health department this year has adopted an effective strategy to ensure clean drinking water in private schools. "We have been collecting samples of drinking water from schools and sending them to National Institute of Health, Islamabad, for quality checking for the last five months," he said.

He added that in case of any complaint, the health department issues warning to the schools providing unfit for use drinking water to students. "By regular monitoring and strict follow ups, we have ensured clean drinking water in nearly 80 per cent of the total schools across the district." To a query, he admitted that earlier the monitoring of the schools for provision of clean drinking water and hygienic condition was not as effective as it should have been. Most of the schools previously managed to get fitness certificates by using political influence or with the help of concerned staff through underhand deals, "however, we have worked a lot to check the malpractice," he said.

He added that his office has set a target of ensuring clean drinking water to students in 100 per cent private schools by the end of May. "We have decided to make names of the private schools public through media which fail in providing clean drinking water to students or improving the hygienic condition."

Dr Randhawa said that his office has given deadlines to many private schools to ensure good hygienic condition, and if they fail, his office would cancel their fitness certificates even if issued this year. "We have decided to monitor hygienic condition in private schools on regular basis throughout the year," he said.