UNOFFICIAL ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Government of People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Ministry of Education
Subsection-10 (secondary -1)

No- 37.00.0000.071.05.001.04-529 Date: 23 June 2015

Circular

Subject: To improve the toilet and sanitation conditionsin secondary and higher secondary schools, madrasas and technical & vocational institutions.

Beyond the family, an educational institution is a perfect place for developing good practices of human life. But as a number of students stay together here, there is every chance of faster spreading of infectious diseases. So there is a need to maintain a healthy environment in educational institutions. In this consideration, toilets in educational intuitions are very important. According to the Bangladesh National Hygiene Baseline Survey, there is one toilet for 187 students in the country. But 45% of these toilets remain closed for different reasons. A two-third of these toilets does not have soap and water facilities inside the toilet or nearby. Moreover, the windows of these toilets are small; there is no proper light or ventilation; although there is electric connection, no bulb is found or if one is found it remains fused; moreover bad odor spreads affecting the environment.

The poor management of toilets in educational institutions adversely impact onfemale student’s health and attendance. During menstruation most of the female students miss the school and they miss out opportunities of stipends as they cannot meet the pre-requisites of 80 percent attendance of their classes.

Under such circumstancessecondary and higher secondary schools, madrasas and vocational & technical institutions are advised to undertake the following actions:

  1. Maintenance of the toilets should be under the vigilance ofschool managing committee. The committee will reserve a separate fund for this. The managing committee will hire manpower needed to maintain cleanliness of these toilets. All such costs can be met up from the reserved fund.
  2. Teachers have to lead to keep the toilets clean. A toilet and sanitation committee may be formed comprising scouts, girl’s guides. The headmaster can divide the students in groups to keep the toilets clean all year round by turn.
  3. Gender friendlysanitationmust be ensured. All educational institutionsmust have separate toilets for the female students. Thesetoilets must have plastic containers with leads on them.
  4. Toilet design and construction should be friendly for differently able students. The Education Engineering Department will takenecessary actions regarding this.
  5. A female teacher must be given specific responsibilities to discuss about menstruation with the female students.
  6. The managing committee must take up initiatives to ensure sanitary napkins for female students (if necessary on payment) available in educational institutions.
  7. The inspection report of education officers at the district and upazila level as well as school inspectors, officials and high officials from local government must include safe drinking water, sanitation system, separate toilet for girls and handwashing facilities of the inspected educational institutes.
  8. The district comission have to engage local NGOs to create mass awareness on school sanitation. NGOs, private organizations will run campaign on safe drinking water, handwashing and cleanliness of toilets etc.
  9. The toilets in the educational institutions must have proper ventilation system and light. Modern technologies, motion sensors or green technologies may be used. The toilets must have sufficient water and soaps.
  10. Websites of all educational institutions should have information on hygiene.
  11. The district commission will encourage local health complexes (government/private) to inspect these institutions at least twice a year.

This circular will have immediate effect.

Singed /23.06.2015
Md. Nazrul Islam Khan
Secretary

Circulated to take necessary actions (not in order of seniority):

  1. DG, Directorate of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Shikhha Bhaban, Dhaka
  2. DG, NGO Affairs Bureau, Dhaka (with request to provide necessary instructions to NGOs)
  3. DG, Directorate of Technical Education, Agargaon, Dhaka
  4. Chief Engineer, Education Engineering Department, Dhaka
  5. Chairman, Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board, Dhaka/Chittagong/Comilla/ Sylhet/Dinajpur/Jessore/Bangladesh Madrasa Education Board, Dhaka/Bangladesh Technical Education Board
  6. District Commissioner (All)
  7. District Education Officer (All)
  8. UpazilaSecondary Education Officer

No- 37.00.0000.071.05.001.04-529 Date: 23 June 2015

For kind information and necessary (where applicable) actions (not in order of seniority)

  1. Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
  2. Senior Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration/Local Government Division/Ministry of Health and Family Welfare/ Bangladesh secretariat, Dhaka
  3. Secretary, Ministry of Primary and Mass education/Ministry of Religious Affairs/Ministry of Women and Children Affairs/Ministry of Social Welfare, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
  4. Additional Secretary (Administration and Finance/Development/University/Technical/Madrasa) Ministry of Education, Bangladesh secretariat, Dhaka
  5. Divisional Commissioner (All)
  6. Joint Secretary (College/Secondary-1/2/Development-1/2) Ministry of Education, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
  7. Personal Secretary to the Minister, Ministry of Education, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
  8. Personal Secretary to the Secretary, Ministry of Education, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka
  9. Senior System Analyst, Ministry of Education, Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka

Md. Mohibur Rahman

Deputy Secretary