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School Sanitation in India Improves, but Maintenance Gaps Persist | WASH in Schools 2026 | UPSC Current Affairs Toilets are now built in most schools, but maintenance lags behind - What new data says? On 2nd Oct 2014, Swachh Bharat Mission & Swachh Vidyalaya Abhiyan promised separate toilets for boys & girls in each govt school. 12 years on, promise fulfilled - but a toilet is only as useful as it is maintained! Latest Data - WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) Report "Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools 2015-2025" released Sept 2026 + UDISE+ 2025-26 + NITI Aayog Report 2026: BIG PROGRESS: 1. Drinking Water: Schools with basic drinking water jumped from 55% in 2015 to 97% in 2025 - Only 5 countries improved faster! India is among 28 of 62 countries on track for universal water coverage by 2030. 1.2 crore Indian kids still without water (1 in 20 globally) but down from 96.5% to 99% as per NITI (UDISE). 2. Sanitation: Basic sanitation in schools rose from 62% to 81% (2015-2025). Schools with NO sanitation fell from 27% to 14% - Above world average! Girls' toilets: UDISE+ shows 98.5% of 14.56 lakh girls' & co-ed schools have girls' toilet. Functional boys' toilet up from 80% (2014-15) to 92.4% (2024-25), girls' from 85.17% to 94% - NITI Aayog. 3. But STILL GAP: 50 Million (5 crore) Indian children still lack sanitation services in schools in 2025 - Highest in world! India accounts for 1/5th of 244 Million children globally without school sanitation. Nigeria is 2nd with 3.4 cr. India recorded 14% reduction in schools with no sanitation, but progress not enough. 4. Hygiene - Biggest Worry: Around 2 crore children have no hygiene service at school. Only 79% schools may have basic hygiene by 2030. No recent data for India beyond 2024 due to insufficient data - JMP flagged. MAINTENANCE GAPS - The Real Issue: - Supreme Court Case: Jaya Thakur vs Govt of India - Jan 30 2026 judgment said Right to Menstrual Health is part of Right to Life (Article 21). Ordered functional gender-segregated toilets with usable water, free sanitary napkins, waste disposal, soap, privacy, accessibility for CWSN. - Centre's Affidavit to SC on 31 Aug 2026 (8 months later): States report major gaps! Of 39,439 girls' toilets needing to be functional, only 30,458 built, 4,236 under construction, 4,745 gap remains. Many schools don't have sufficient cleaning staff, no covered waste bins (Only 6 states fully compliant). Free sanitary pad vending machines - Only Chandigarh 100% compliant. Puducherry - all schools have vending machines but only 36.2% give free pads. - Supreme Court on 16 Sept 2026 pulled up states - Said responses are "mere formality" & "non-application of mind". Ordered surprise inspections. Why Sanitation is Educational Issue? Economist Anjali Adukia (AEJ 2017) showed toilet construction increased adolescent girls' enrollment - Privacy & safety at puberty decides whether girl stays in school. UPSC Relevance: GS2 - Health, Education, Social Justice, Govt Schemes - Swachh Bharat, Swachh Vidyalaya, Samagra Shiksha. GS1 - Women issues. SDG 4 (Quality Education) & SDG 6 (Water & Sanitation). SC judgments, WASH. #SchoolSanitation #WASHinSchools #SwachhVidyalaya #WHOUNICEF #UDISE2025 #MenstrualHygiene #RightToLife #SwachhBharat #UPSC2026 #VajiraoAndReddyInstitute #GS2 #CurrentAffairs2026 #TheHindu #PIB #SupremeCourtJudgement