Dong Van lacks more than 100 school toilets

In Ha Giang, many existing toilets in Dong Van district lack flushing systems and are not separated for men and women. Some schools still do not have toilets that meet the required standards.

According to statistics from the Dong Van District Department of Education and Training, schools in the district currently have 180 toilet facilities for students and 63 for teachers. However, with over 27,000 students and nearly 1,500 teachers, Dong Van still lacks 88 toilets for students and 42 facilities for teachers.

Sharing about this situation, a representative from the Dong Van District Department of Education and Training stated: "From the very beginning of construction, the school lacked the funds to build toilets at some locations, leading to inadequacies in their use later on."

Schools in Dong Van lack more than 100 toilets.

Makeshift, dilapidated toilets at many schools in Dong Van district, Ha Giang province. Video : Anh Phu.

Besides being overcrowded, many toilets in some schools are either temporary structures or old but dilapidated, unusable, lacking flushing systems, water supply, and separate areas for male and female students or teachers. Many schools don't even have toilets that meet the proper standards.

"Not only are school facilities inadequate, but the lack of clean water, and the absence of waste collection and treatment facilities are also major challenges for school principals," the Dong Van District Department of Education and Training added.

As a teacher at Ma Lé Ethnic Boarding Primary School, Mr. Chá Mĩ Dình said that he and other teachers at the school have had to personally repair the dilapidated toilets many times so that students can use them safely. "The toilets are not enough to meet the students' needs; in the dry season there is no water, and the smell is strong, causing students to attend school irregularly," Mr. Chá Mĩ Dình said.

Mr. Truong Du Dinh, a teacher at Pho Cao Secondary School, said that the school shares a campus with the primary school, and both sides lack adequate facilities. Each school only has one toilet, which is for students and not for teachers, so teachers have to use the toilets in the staff quarters and their rented rooms.

Toilets at Phin Chai B school site, Van Chai Ethnic Boarding Primary and Secondary School, Dong Van, Ha Giang. Photo: NA

After surveying and understanding the needs of the community, the Hope Fund - VnExpress newspaper has planned to fund the construction of 20 new toilets for students and teachers in Dong Van district, where poor households account for up to 61%. This activity is part of the School Hygiene project that the fund has been implementing since 2022.

Besides building toilets, the project will continue to implement activities to promote proper school hygiene practices among students and teachers. The guidance materials, along with the standardized toilet facilities, will serve as a model that can be replicated and standardized in other schools in the region. From the school, the project aims to influence hygiene habits in families and the surrounding community. Changing living and hygiene habits will also help students integrate into urban life, where they may move to live and work later.

Children in Dong Van, Ha Giang will have better health and educational opportunities when the sanitation system is improved. The Hope Foundation, in collaboration with Sanofi Vietnam, is implementing a "School Sanitation" project aimed at building at least 20 new toilets in the area. To participate, readers can find more information here.

Hope Fund

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