KUALA LUMPUR: There are students who resist the urge to use the toilets in schools because they are dirty, but this scenario has now changed.
Most of the school toilets that were damaged and dirty have been repaired to ensure that every student has a comfortable facility.
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Form Three student Sarah Mohd Redza, 15, said that the toilet at her school has now changed after the makeover and become more functional, with the students also more enthusiastic about keeping it clean.
"In the past (before the renovation), there was no bidet, only a rubber hose...even that was torn off and the toilet was dirty and uncomfortable. I used to resist the urge (to use the toilet at school) but now it's okay.
"Now the toilet is clean, so you have to use it wisely," she told Bernama.
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Syed Mohamad Syed Nasir, 17, a fifth former at a boarding school, said the toilets at his school are now not only clean, but the equipment is also new and neat.
"I did read (a news report) about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, talking about damaged and dirty school toilets.
"Soon after that, I saw the toilet at my school being repaired. Alhamdulillah, the toilet is now clean and comfortable to use,” he said.
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Sharing a similar view is Arif Daniel, 16, who said that, as an athlete, he is of the view that the cleanliness of the school toilet is important as students would use it as a changing room after undergoing sports training.
"There were students who do not take good care of the toilets at school, so this kind of attitude needs to be changed,” he said, adding that students need to be smart and mature in using public infrastructure so that it remains functioning.
Arif said that, thus far, the toilet at his school has not been repaired, and hopes that it can be expedited as he is also looking forward to using the new, clean toilet.
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On June 3, Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, raised the issue of dirty school toilets, which he described as a never-ending problem.
He said he was aware of the conditions of school toilets, which were mostly damaged and dirty, and yet these basic facilities remained neglected, and instructed Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek to check on it.
The Prime Minister, when tabling Budget 2024 on Oct 13, said that the toilet repair projects in 8,354 schools would be almost completed by this year.
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Meanwhile, the National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) president, Aminuddin Awang, said that teachers need to educate students on how to use the toilet, and the importance of cleanliness, so that the Madani generation can produce individuals who care about cleanliness.
"I hope that the new generation will be the ones who know about cleanliness, if we can't achieve (cleanliness mentality) like the Japanese, at least we have an aspiration to achieve (it),” he said.
He said that parents also need to emphasise a sense of responsibility towards keeping toilets clean at home among children, and also suggest that the Parents and Teachers Associations (PIBG) support the initiative by expanding the toilet improvement projects.
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Welcoming the initiative, Mohd Azlan Najamudin, 44, a clerk, said that good facilities must be maintained, and the culture of vandalism must be curbed.
The father of a Form Three student believes that all parties should work together to ensure that students are educated to keep the school toilets clean.
It was previously reported that the Implementation Coordination Unit of the Prime Minister's Department (ICU JPM), in collaboration with the Education Ministry, had been responsible for implementing minor maintenance works, involving toilet repairs at 8,354 schools with an allocation of RM630.77mil which started in mid-July this year. - Bernama
