NITI Aayog report reveals sharp decline in functional school toilets across Nagaland despite nationwide improvements in sanitation infrastructure.
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KOHIMA — Nagaland has recorded a sharp decline in the availability of functional toilets in schools over the past decade, according to a report released by NITI Aayog this month.
The report, titled School Education System in India, showed that the proportion of schools in Nagaland with functional boys’ toilets dropped from 91.7% in 2014-15 to 80.7% in 2024-25. Functional girls’ toilets also declined from 92.1% to 80.6% during the same period.
The report identified Nagaland among the states recording the most significant declines in functional girls’ toilets over the decade, alongside Tripura, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Nationally, the availability of functional toilets in schools has improved over the past ten years. According to the report, 92.4% of schools across India had functional boys’ toilets in 2024-25, while 94% reported functional girls’ toilets.
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The report stated that coverage of functional boys’ toilets had reached 100% in Chandigarh and Lakshadweep, while Haryana and Goa recorded 99.9%, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 99.8%, Delhi 99.7%, West Bengal 99.5%, Kerala 99.3%, and Bihar 97.5%.
Several other states, including Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Punjab, Gujarat, Odisha, and Karnataka, also reported near-universal provision of functional boys’ toilets.
At the lower end, Meghalaya recorded the lowest coverage of functional boys’ toilets at 72%, followed by Tripura at 74.1%, Arunachal Pradesh at 75.5%, Manipur at 76.4%, and Nagaland at 80.7%.
The report also highlighted persistent gaps in functional girls’ toilets despite overall national improvement. It noted that the national average rose from 85.17% in 2014-15 to above 94% in 2024-25.
However, it cautioned that “one in fifteen schools still lack such facilities,” stressing that universal access to safe and functional toilets for girls remains critical for health, dignity, attendance, retention, and transition rates, particularly at the upper primary and secondary levels.
According to the report, functional girls’ toilets achieved full coverage in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Goa and Puducherry recorded 99.9%, Haryana 99.8%, and West Bengal 99.6%.
Among the states with the lowest coverage of functional girls’ toilets were Meghalaya at 68.7%, Arunachal Pradesh at 73.7%, Manipur at 74.5%, Tripura at 75.4%, and Mizoram at 79.1%.
The report stated that the steepest declines in functional girls’ toilets over the decade were recorded in Tripura, which fell from 90.9% to 75.4%; Manipur from 88.5% to 74.5%; Arunachal Pradesh from 87.7% to 73.7%; Nagaland from 92.1% to 80.6%; and Rajasthan from 94.9% to 87.3%.