How sanitary can conditions be when 90 young children in a school are sharing one toilet? Or when more than half of the toilets are not functioning? According to a 1995 pilot survey of 14 countries in the developing world, the average number of children to each toilet in the urban schools is often more than 50. None of the 14 countries had increased the number of school toilets by more than 8 per cent since 1990, suggesting that they are barely managing to keep up with the rise in student populations. Inadequate sanitation and water in schools jeopardize not only students’ health but also their attendance. Girls in particular are likely to be kept out of school if there are no sanitation facilities.

Source: United Nations Children’s Fund, The Progress of Nations 1997. UNICEF, New York, 1997.

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