Maharashtra: Nashik ZP withdraws circular on toilet selfie, drawing competition as teachers protest

NASHIK: The Nashik Zilla Parishad's education department has withdrawn a circular asking students to click a selfie with a clean toilet and draw the toilet of their dreams to mark 'World Toilet Day' on Saturday after opposition from school authorities, teachers and educationists, an official said.

The circular, issued on November 14 under the sign of BD Kanauj, Education Officer (Primary) of Nashik Zilla Parishad, said various competitions would be held for children of Classes IV to X, including 'selfie with clean toilet', drawing 'dream toilet', street plays on cleanliness and sanitation etc, he said.

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Opposing the move, Vijay Jagtap, general secretary of the Samata Shikhsak Parishad, Nashik, said, "Who will click a selfie when many schools don't have toilets at all, and those that exist are dirty? There must be one toilet for 120 students but this ratio is not being maintained. However, the authorities come up with such selfie and drawing competition stunts." The new order issued by the ZP education department on November 17 has dropped the selfie and drawing competitions, an official said.

World Toilet Day is an annual United Nations observance since 2013, and aims at ensuring everyone has access to a toilet connected to a sanitation system that effectively treats and removes human waste.