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ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS FOR SWACHH PATASHALA
Every school must have the following components as part of Swachh Patashala.
Water
 Daily provision of safe drinking water
 Daily provision of safe drinking water for food preparation and cooking
 Daily provision of adequate water supply for toilets, urinals and hand
washing stations with water storage tank
Note: Ideally every school should have atleast 1 functional source of water, inside the school
premises. In its absence, school must ensure that all students bring potable water from home.
Sanitation
 Atleast one separate toilet each for boys and girls, with one unit generally
having one toilet (WC) plus 3 urinals; accessible to Children With Special
Needs (CWSN) as well
Each toilet should be child friendly and should have all components below:
 Access to water by use of bucket or tap
 1 ceramic rural squatting pan
 1 door with latch for each toilet
 1 ventilator in each toilet or an opening for at least 4 hrs of sunlight exposure
 Roof cover that provides privacy and protection from sun and rain
 Bucket and mug in each toilet
 Atleast one separate urinal for boys and girls
 In case of upper primary and high schools, atleast one girls toilet should
have covered dustbin for disposing used sanitary napkins
 All toilets must be connected to leach pit /septic tank/ bio-digester or
sewerage system
Note: The RTE recommends one toilet for every 80 students and one urinal for every 20 students
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Note: If source of water is not inside the toilet block, school should ensure access to water
through a water drum or bucket.
Handwashing
 Hand washing facilities close to the toilet to be used after toilet use
 Group handwashing facilities allowing groups of 10-12 students to wash
hands at the same time before midday meal
 Daily access to soap for MDM cooks for handwashing
 Soap must be made available to students at all times for handwashing after
toilet use
Note: In the absence of group handwashing facilities, school should provide handwashing
facility either by bucket and soap Or tap and soap
Solid waste disposal
 Every classroom must have a dustbin
 School should have a pit within the school premises or Municipal or
Panchayat bin for disposal of waste from classrooms and kitchen
Note: Waste segregation must be promoted; Dustbins to be used for dry waste and pits for wet
waste
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CHECKLIST 3
Child Cabinet
Every school must encourage constitution of a Child Cabinet (Student Committee)
with the objective of creating a platform for students to discuss and address issues
related to education, sanitation and other activities. Child cabinets will play a
major role in involving the students in day to day school activities and create a
sense of responsibility and leadership among them.
Composition of Child Cabinet
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2.
3.
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5.
Prime Minister
Sports & Cultural Minister and a sub-committee
Health Minister and a sub-committee
Education And Environment Minister and a sub-committee
Food Minister and a sub-committee
Responsibilities of Child Cabinet
i) Prime Minister calls for meetings and monitors activities of all Ministers.
ii) Health Minister, with the help of his/her sub-committee:
a. monitors personal hygiene of all students everyday
b. monitors hand washing activity using soap at critical times for all
the students
c. monitors functionality of toilets and urinals
d. monitors whether cooks and food handling staff wash hands with
soap before handling food – cooking and serving
e. monitors MDM and checks if cooked meals are covered properly
f. monitors whether cooking and serving utensils used in Mid Day
Meal are washed properly
g. monitors cleanliness of the kitchen shed and kitchen garden if
available
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iii) Sports & Cultural Minister, with the help of his/her sub-committee:
a. monitors sports and cultural activities of the school
b. is responsible for preserving sports materials
c. checks regularly, the height and weight of students
iv) Education and Environment Minister with the help of his/her sub-committee:
a. preserving the TLM, Library Books etc. and also monitor the uses
of Library books by the students
b. Monitors gardening activities
A complaint box should be provided in the school where students are allowed to
drop their complaints, suggestions i.e. cleanliness of toilets, availability of soap,
lack of learning material. The Child Cabinet, supported by a teacher, addresses the
issues.
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