Noida: Amid protests over basic facilities in govt schools, the Noida administration has stepped up sanitation monitoring. In two directions, the district magistrate has ordered regular cleaning of council schools in rural and urban areas, including toilets and urinals. A district-level task force will inspect sanitation facilities, with photographs to be uploaded on the Prerna portal, an inspection module.The move comes amid a wider churn in Uttar Pradesh’s govt school system, where a series of student protests over the past month have brought basic infrastructure back into sharp focus. In districts such as Fatehpur, Lucknow, Unnao, Hamirpur and Kannauj, students have protested over issues ranging from dirty toilets and inadequate drinking water to teacher shortages, poor food, non-functional fans and dilapidated buildings.The state govt has since directed officials to verify complaints flagged on social media and introduced a 14-point checklist covering basic facilities in around 40,000 schools.The concerns are not limited to the state. Schoolchildren in several states have recently raised similar demands, with access to clean toilets, safe drinking water and basic infrastructure emerging as common grievances.In Noida, the first direction reiterates that sanitation workers deployed in rural areas must clean both the outer and inner premises of primary and upper-primary schools on a roster basis. The basic education officer will monitor the work through block education officers. Any lapse will be placed before the district-level Kayakalp Monitoring Committee, chaired by the DM, for action.The second direction covers council schools in urban areas, including those falling under the notified area of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority. It says cleaning staff must continuously maintain school premises and sanitation facilities.Last week, the Ghaziabad administration formed a three-member team to inspect schools. The team, comprising a block education officer, block development officer and an engineer, will assess infrastructure, basic facilities and other arrangements in schools across the district.DM Ravinder Mander told TOI, “The officials will inspect schools, speak to students and submit a detailed report after completing the survey. Deficiencies found during the inspection would be addressed and necessary corrective measures taken.” He will also monitor chief minister Abhyudaya classes conducted at Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Nidori and Bhagirath School in Sanjaynagar through CCTV cameras.
