Toilet shortage: Balurghat school struggles to admit girl students

BALURGHAT: Lalit Mohan Adarsha High School in Balurghat is facing a major hurdle in admitting girl students to Class XI due to an acute shortage of girls’ toilets. Despite growing demand, the school has only one functional toilet for over 350 girl students from Classes XI and XII, leading to concerns among guardians and a bottleneck in the ongoing admission process.

According to school sources, 425 students have already enrolled in Class XI this year, of whom around 200 are girls. Including Class XII, the total number of girl students stands at approximately 350. However, there is only one toilet available for them, which is grossly inadequate.

The school has a total student population of nearly 2,400, including primary and secondary sections. With a recent influx of admissions — partly due to job losses among teachers following a Supreme Court order affecting other schools — pressure on infrastructure has intensified. This school offers Science, Commerce and Arts streams at the higher secondary level, attracting a high number of students each year. Guardians have already submitted requests to the school authority, demanding immediate construction of additional toilets. In response, acting Headmaster Parthapratim Dutta has appealed to the District Magistrate and the District Project Officer for swift action.

“Yes, we have only one girls’ toilet, which is far from sufficient for our growing number of girl students.

We have already sought help from the district authorities and have received a positive assurance that funds will be allocated in the 2025-26 financial year,” said Dutta.

District Project Officer Bimal Krishna Gayen confirmed the receipt of the proposal and said it has been forwarded to the District Magistrate’s office. “We are awaiting approval and expect funds to be sanctioned soon,” he added.