Does the government build toilets in schools? Technically, yes — but often too late.
At the Zilla Parishad High School in Rajole of Mahabubabad district, established in 1947, it was only recently that boys stopped relieving themselves outdoors. For classes 6 to 10, the school has a strength of about 200 students, including 80 girls who have access to toilets. But until a few months ago, the boys did not.
The solution to the issue came from the school’s physical director, Pilli Kashinath, who devised a low-cost innovation by repurposing five-litre plastic oil cans as urinals. “One day, after a toilet break, a boy returned in tears. A man had shouted at him for urinating on private land. It deeply upset him. That is when I thought, students shouldn’t have to go outside to relieve themselves,” he said.
Physical director at ZPHS Rajole, P.Kashinath installing the urinals that he built with the help of students.
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ARRANGEMENT
With ₹2,000, Kashinath built a makeshift urinal area with 10 repurposed cans. Each can is horizontally cut to create a flap that is fixed to the wall, while a vertical cut opens the top for use. Inverted, the can’s spout connects to a discharge pipe. A single common pipe with a hose and valve acts as a flush system. The urinals are mounted at child-friendly heights.
Mr. Kashinath was joined in the project by Class 8 students Karthik, Lokesh and Komaram Puli, along with other students and teachers who pitched in during the games and activity period. Materials like asbestos roof sheets, sand and stones were repurposed from the school premises, while essential supplies such as pipe joints, cement, white distemper and red oxide were purchased.
The setup is fully functional, and the next step is to add roofing sheets to ensure the urinals can be used even during rain. The initiative drew praise from District Educational Officer A. Ravinder Reddy, who inaugurated the facility in March. School officials say the effort also received coverage in the local media.
“We had two options — to complain and wait for the government to do it, or to come up with a solution with whatever was available. Our achievement is that no student now has to go outside to relieve themselves,” Headmaster A. Ravi Kumar said.
Official reports show that the school was sanctioned new toilets, but reportedly, work was not carried out for want of funds.
Published – June 11, 2025 12:47 am IST
