- Around 1.05 lakh schools across India still lack access to proper girls' toilet facilities
- 32,965 schools have no girls' toilet, while 71,959 have toilets that are non-functional
- Girls' toilet infrastructure has improved over seven years, but major gaps remain in many schools
In the celebration of 15 years of the India International Movement to Unite Nations, Mohan Bhagwat interacted with Gen Z and Gen Alpha students in Mumbai, where he was asked questions about the future of students. In that series, one interesting question was asked about the lack of girls' toilets in around one lakh schools. The question was, "We are talking about Viksit Bharat, and slogan "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" sounds good. But if girls do not have basic facilities in schools, how will they be educated and go to school?"
While answering the question, Mohan Bhagwat said that improving this is not the job of one person. It is the duty of the community to work on the education system. But is that really the case? Today, we are talking about AI and robots, yet there are schools where girls are still not getting basic facilities.
Status of girls' toilets in Indian schools
Girls' toilet facilities in Indian schools have improved over the past seven years, but many schools still do not have proper infrastructure.
According to UDISE+ data, in the academic year 2025-26, out of 14.67 lakh schools (girls' schools and co-educational schools), around 1.05 lakh schools did not have access to proper girls' toilet facilities. Of these, 32,965 schools did not have a girls' toilet at all, while 71,959 schools had a girls' toilet structure, but it was non-functional.
However, it is not that the toilet infrastructure has not improved over the years. In the academic year 2018-19, when there were 15.36 lakh schools, compared to 14.67 lakh in 2025-26, around 1.95 lakh schools lacked proper girls' toilet facilities. Of these, 66,660 schools did not have a girls' toilet at all, while 1.28 lakh schools had a girls' toilet structure, but it was non-functional.
Girls account for nearly 48 per cent of school enrolment in India. Yet, more than one lakh schools still do not have proper girls' toilet facilities, meaning millions of girls continue to study in schools where a basic necessity is either missing or non-functional.
