No toilets, no classes: 200 Chhattisgarh Gen Alpha students block road for answers

About 200 students of a government school in Chhattisgarh's Durg district blocked a main road after complaints over toilets and a boundary wall went unanswered. The protest ended after the tehsildar assured them that toilets would be built, though students said they would wait for work to begin.

In Short

• Students began protesting around 9 am after locking the school gates
• Girls said the absence of toilets had made daily attendance difficult
• Kinjal Kurre asked where girls were expected to go during school

Around 200 students of a government school in Selud village of Durg district, Chhattisgarh, took to the streets after repeated complaints about the lack of proper toilets and a boundary wall went unanswered.

Students of the Swami Atmanand Utkrisht Hindi Medium School began protesting around 9 am. They first locked the school gates and later gathered at Bajrang Chowk on the Durg-Patan main road, where they staged a road blockade. The protest disrupted traffic and led to long queues of vehicles on both sides.

The students said the lack of toilets had made attending school difficult, particularly for girls. They said the problem had continued for around two years despite repeated complaints and assurances.

'WHERE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GO?'

The students said they were not protesting for an extra facility but for something they consider essential at school.

Kinjal Kurre, a Class 8 student who joined the protest, said the lack of toilets was especially difficult for girls. “While boys can relieve themselves in the open, where are we girls supposed to go?”

She questioned why a toilet could not be built for the nearly 200 students when other government buildings could be constructed within months.

Another student, Vaishali, a Class 7 student, said the school also did not have a boundary wall. She said students from Classes 6 to 8 study at the school and that teachers had given officials time to address the issue.

TEHSILDAR ARRIVES, STUDENTS CALL OFF PROTEST

The road blockade continued until Patan Tehsildar Rastogi reached the spot and spoke to the students.

After hearing their complaints, the Tehsildar assured them that toilets would be constructed. He also said he would inspect the school premises and identify a suitable location for the work.

Following the assurance, the students ended the blockade and returned to school, allowing traffic movement to resume.

The students, however, said they would wait to see the construction actually begin and could raise the issue again if the problem remained unresolved.

MINISTER BLAMES POLITICAL 'INSTIGATION'

The incident has drawn attention because Durg is the home district of Chhattisgarh School Education Minister Gajendra Yadav.

Yadav said the students' demand for toilets was justified but alleged that some protests were being encouraged by Congress leaders or local village leaders.

He said the existing toilet at the Selud school had fallen into disrepair because of poor maintenance by the local panchayat. According to him, instructions had been issued for the work and new toilets would be constructed under the 'Ji Ram Ji' scheme.

The protest has once again put the focus on a basic question facing government schools: quality education cannot be separated from safe and usable classrooms, toilets, boundaries and other essential facilities.

- Ends