{"id":30245,"date":"2021-01-18T11:56:01","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T09:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cins.rs\/?p=30245"},"modified":"2021-04-30T01:03:34","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T23:03:34","slug":"hygiene-in-numerous-elementary-schools-squat-toilets-outhouses-no-soap-or-toilet-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cins.rs\/en\/hygiene-in-numerous-elementary-schools-squat-toilets-outhouses-no-soap-or-toilet-paper\/","title":{"rendered":"Hygiene in Numerous Elementary Schools: Squat Toilets, Outhouses, No Soap or Toilet Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Not so long ago, former education minister Mladen \u0160ar\u010devi\u0107 <\/strong>announced robots and holographic teachers in schools. Meanwhile, at the Oslobodioci Beograda Elementary School<\/em> in Belgrade\u2019s Palilula district the doors to the toilet cubicles do not work and the toilet seats are either broken or non-existent. A student at the school simply describes the toilet hygiene: \u201cIt\u2019s disgusting!\u201d<\/p>

Nonetheless, the situation in Belgrade schools, according to public health institute data, is not as bad as in rural environments.<\/p>

In a satellite unit of the Stanimir Veljkovi\u0107 \u2013 Zele Elementary School<\/em> in Mrve\u0161, 30 kilometers from Leskovac, students still use outhouses in the yard, one of which does not even have a door.<\/p>

In the vicinity of Leskovac, at least six more schools had only outhouses in 2019, whereas just a few years earlier some schools did not even have sewerage or a septic tank, and the employees had to bring bottled water.<\/p>

According to research conducted by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia <\/em>(CINS), there is a growing number of schools that have problems with hygiene and toilets.<\/p>

Every year, local public health institutes tour schools across Serbia and check the conditions that could affect children\u2019s health, primarily hygiene. According to the data provided by 27 institutes that we analyzed, 6.41% of monitored schools did not have any or had inoperative sanitation facilities, i.e. toilets, sinks and other hand washing devices in 2016, and 8.83% in 2019. That means that, according to the latest data, at least 87 schools and satellite units do not have toilets or hand wash sinks.<\/p>

This number may even be bigger because not all schools are checked in a year, rather about a third of them. Representatives of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia Dr Milan Jovanovi\u0107 Batut, <\/em>where an annual, collective report is made based on the findings of nationwide public health institutes, believe that a third is enough because checks are carried out continuously. They think that the report shows only \u201cseemingly worse results,\u201d because buildings that are potentially riskier are supervised.<\/p>

\u201cSince, for various reasons, it is most often impossible to tour all school buildings every year, when planning their annual activities the district bureaus and public health institutes opt for buildings with less secure water supply sources and waste disposal,\u201d the Batut representatives said in their reply.<\/p>

Citizens on the subject of school toilets<\/h2>

In a bid to get an image of the situation in a large number of elementary schools in all of Serbia, not just in those checked by the local institutes, CINS invited readers to send information on and photographs of school toilets. We asked what the state of the toilets was, whether they had soap, paper towels and disinfectants, as well as whether the situation changed after the outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic.<\/p>\r\n

Almost 60 readers from 23 places in Serbia answered the appeal, describing the situation in schools and sending photographs and video footage.<\/p>\r\n

An analysis of the data reveals that in close to a third of elementary schools there are either not enough or no disinfectants, soap and paper towels, while five schools have them only because the students\u2019 parents buy them.<\/p>\r\n

Parents did this before but also after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which CINS reported on<\/a>. In the case of 17 elementary schools, the parents and students said they had the impression that the pandemic had not brought an improvement in hygiene. In schools where they notice an improvement, they highlight intensified cleaning and better hygiene.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>Doctor Predrag Kuzmanovi\u0107<\/strong>, head of the Leskovac Public Health Institute\u2019s <\/em>department overseeing school hygiene, told CINS that the problem was that people were moving out of rural areas and children were transferring to bigger schools. Some schools they checked used to have 800 students, whereas now the number is a single-digit one which is why, in his opinion, they are not invested in.<\/p>

Selma Bihorac<\/strong>\u00a0of the Public Health Institute <\/em>in Novi Pazar confirms that there are problems with sanitation facilities, primarily in rural satellite classes attended by a smaller number of students, but believes that should be rectified:<\/p>

\u201cThat can be enhanced, of course, regardless of the fact that there is a small number of children. You have to provide some basic hygiene conditions for every child, for the time they spend there.\u201d Out of the 21 schools this institute monitored in 2019, nine did not have functioning sanitation facilities.<\/p>

The Zlatibor District, i.e. the vicinity of U\u017eice and Prijepolje, has the biggest number of schools with poor hygiene. The reason for that is mainly unsafe drinking water, doctor Olivera Janji\u0107 <\/strong>from the U\u017eice Institute <\/em>explains. Where the vicinity of \u0160abac is concerned, at least 21 schools have outhouses.<\/p>

https:\/\/www.cins.rs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/OS-3.-oktobar-Bor.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>
Squat toilets in the bathroom at the 3. Oktobar Elementary School in Bor; source: a CINS reader<\/em><\/h6>

Representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development <\/em>explained to CINS that the maintenance of school buildings was under the jurisdiction of local self-governments, but also that the Ministry <\/em>had gotten involved due to the coronavirus epidemic and handed out hygiene products and equipment to schools. Nevertheless, instead of commenting on the aforementioned problems, the Ministry <\/em>officials claim that, according to their information, there are no serious problems with hygiene maintenance in schools.<\/p>