Morning stomachaches used to be a common occurrence when I was growing up, especially during school days. Naturally, I avoided big meals during breakfast and recess time. Having to visit the school toilet with a bad stomach wasn’t something I was keen on.
Having successfully avoided the school toilet for most of my primary school years, one day during Standard Six, it happened. It was Children’s Day celebration at my school, and I had a little too much greasy food. I tried holding it in as long as I could but ended up squatting in a dark cubicle with no water, no toilet paper, and no door locks.
Most memories of my school toilets aren’t nice, and I assumed that they would be better for my children. Unfortunately, I assumed wrong.
My children’s experience with their school toilets isn’t so much different than mine. While I had a strong dislike for mine, they hated theirs.
Some reasons for this hatred are the school toilets’ wet floors, unflushed toilets, urine/faeces on the seat/floor, no water, no toilet paper, no soap, no door locks, no doors, clogged sinks, broken flush, and poor lighting.
Through conversations with them, I learned that their poorly maintained school toilets affected their wellbeing and made them adopt unhealthy habits such as deliberately avoiding water and food to save them unnecessary trips to the toilet. This behaviour caused them so much discomfort and made it difficult for them to concentrate in class.
Poor management
As a hands-on mother, I knew I had to do something about it. With help from a few other parents who felt strongly about the state of the school toilets as I did, we brought up the issue at our children’s school Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings.
After a few meetings and having received a good push from the parents, the school finally admitted that they were unable to do anything to improve the toilets. Defending the toilet cleaners, the blame was passed on to students who were “not well trained” at home.
We were also informed that the school had no budget for the repair and installation of broken and missing items in the toilets.
Since the management of the school decided to give up on the issue, the parents then decided to take over, and the school gladly welcomed our help.
We formed a small volunteer group consisting of parents who were good at plumbing and handyworks for the repairs, supported by non-working mothers who had some time in the day to make trips to the school to inspect and clean the toilets.
In the beginning, the problems associated with the school toilets seem to be rectified. However, after a few weeks, we started to receive calls from the school, informing us about clogged toilets and new repairs.
We volunteered to help solve existing problems so the school can continue upkeeping its toilets. We did not sign up to be helpers whenever something went wrong. It wasn’t our job to do so, it was the school’s.
We realised then, above everything else, that the actual problem with the school toilet was poor management.
New toilet designs
Recently, Education Minister Mohd Radzi Md Jidin announced that better toilet designs that are conducive to students and teachers will be considered in the construction of new schools.
While I welcome this idea and agree that good and practical designs may help with the cleanliness and maintenance of toilets, I doubt it will solve our existing toilet problems, especially if our schools continue with their poor management system.
You see, when something goes wrong with our home toilets, we are very quick to react because we only have one or two toilets for our personal use. From my observation, when something goes wrong in school toilets, the matter is pushed aside because technically, there are more than one cubicle and sinks to use.
This mentality of not attending to a problem at the time it happens is the root cause of our school toilet issues.
The new toilets as aspired by Radzi could even come with state-of-the-art design, good ventilation, fixed bidet, self-cleaning toilet bowls, hand dryers and even scenting machine, but if the school management adopts the same mindset it has now in maintaining toilets, sooner or later the same series of problems will appear once again.
I, for one, honestly do not see the toilet problem requiring rocket science. With proper management and education, I believe school toilets can be a less scary place for students.
Supervision and education
The cleanliness of school facilities is very important to the health of students and staff, but it can often be undervalued. I suggest having a clean and functioning toilet system be introduced as a priority by the Education Department. Arrange spot-checks to be conducted by an officer from time to time and demerit any school principals who do not keep their toilets clean.
At the school level, principals can set up a committee overseeing the cleanliness of toilets. This committee can arrange dialogue and brainstorming sessions with students, teachers, and staff in order to understand the challenges and responsibilities of everyone involved.
The cleaners should always be on standby during school hours to clean up any “accidents”. They should be strictly reminded that cleaning does not necessarily mean just splashing water on the affected area.
The principal should be responsible for patrolling the school toilets at different times every day. Or even better, the principal should start using the students’ toilets.
Schools should also set up a separate fund for toilets. Clean and functioning toilets are more important than potted plants, murals on walls, or fancy signboards.
I believe most school-aged children know the basics of good personal hygiene, but it is always good to educate and continuously remind the students about good bathroom hygiene and etiquette. This must be made part of the schools’ regular health and wellbeing campaigns.
A system must be set in place where a student, upon finding anything unsatisfactory with the toilets, is able to pass the information directly to a teacher, or maybe through class monitors or school prefects. The assigned teacher must attend to the complaint and take necessary actions.
Starting a new way of doing things can be quite overwhelming for the teachers and school management as it involves changes in routine, but if practised regularly and supported by everyone involved, great results can be achieved.
If everyone played their role effectively, I believe students do not even need a state-of-the-art design to enjoy a trip to their school toilet. - Mkini
FA ABDUL is a multi-award-winning playwright and director in the local performing arts scene, a published author, television scriptwriter, media trainer, and mother. Her ultimate mission in life is to live out of a small suitcase.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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