Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim
PETALING JAYA: Despite the education sector receiving the highest allocation from Budget 2025, filthy and broken school toilets remain a daily ordeal for students prompting calls by stakeholders for school administrations to buck up.
Educationists and parents said some children even risked dehydration and infections to avoid having to use the toilets.
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Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE), said the responsibility lies with the school administration, supported by the Education Ministry’s maintenance budget.
“When toilets are dirty, smelly or lack basic necessities like water, soap and toilet paper, students often avoid using them altogether.
“Sometimes, the funds allocated are insufficient for regular deep cleaning or repairs. Other times, it’s an issue of poor monitoring, lack of accountability or even misuse of funds,” said Azimah.
There’s also the problem of shared responsibility when everyone is “somewhat responsible,” no one takes full ownership.” “I have indeed received complaints from both parents and students that some children try to ‘hold it in’ the entire school day,” she said, adding that situations like this cause dehydration and urinary tract infections.
Azimah said that schools should have a clear cleaning schedule and there should be designated staff for sanitation and fixing facilities.
She suggested schools have a simple feedback system like a logbook or even a “toilet condition” chart to address issues quickly.
Meanwhile, Melaka Action Group for Parents in Education chairman Mak Chee Kin highlighted that the maintenance of toilets remains the biggest headache for schools.
“Schools cannot repair broken toilets or pumps immediately because they don’t have their own repair funds. Instead, they must file a report to the District Education Office (PPD) and wait for approval or action.”
He said the prolonged waiting time makes students have to bear the bad conditions of toilets, adding that the Education Ministry should channel allocations directly to parents teachers associations (PTA) to solve these issues.
He also said schools should be cleaned after recess breaks and toilet ethics should be part of the school culture.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Association for Education secretary Hamidi Mookkaiyah Abdullah said allocation of funds should prioritise toilet maintenance instead of just beautifying the school and its compound.
He suggested cross-training janitors to handle minor plumbing or pump issues.
“When public toilets are managed by private cleaning companies there should be a clear contract service-level agreement (SLA) and cleaners should follow a schedule,” Hamidi added.
