Toolbox

There should be no latrines in schools

Dear Editor,

It is sad that in this day and age we still have latrines in the school system. We’re asking children to be health conscious and to practise safe sex and we can’t even provide them with a proper toilet?

The Ministries of Education and Health should be held accountable for the tragedy where a child died after falling into a pit latrine. The family should be compensated.

Where is the VAT money going? The Guyanese people need to start to voice their outrage and ask for their rights.

Yours faithfully,
Gavin Bailey

Comments

About Comments

We thank all readers who have contributed to this site since its relaunch. This section of the website is intended to provide a forum for reasoned and reasonable debate on the newspaper's content and we hope that readers make full use of it as many have already done.

The comments section is an extension of the newspaper and what it has become well known for over its history: accuracy, balance and fairness.
In recent weeks a large proportion of the comments posted have contained attacks on other users, slander, coarse language and profanity. Comments of these types will be deleted.
Comments which contain gratuitous and incendiary references to race and ethnicity will be struck.
We reserve the right to edit/delete comments for length, any libel and taste. We moderate all comments so be patient while your message waits to be approved.
Curious about the little images next to each commenter's name ? Go here and sign up using the same email address you used to register for Stabroeknews.com then upload your image and confirm it.

5 Responses to “There should be no latrines in schools”

Irreverend
on September 8th, 2008 11:36 am

Of course, there should be no latrines in school. Who in their right minds would want to suspend themselves over almost certain death, if they should slip, over a deep hole full of **** and water just to execute one of life necessary acts?

[Reply to this]
Joe Coxall
on September 8th, 2008 6:31 pm

Mr. Bailey,
On the contrary, laterines should not only be encouraged in schools but all over the countryside where there no sewage systems.

Here’s why, human refuse is something we as a civilised society just did not want to deal with so with the press of a leaver we flushed it into our rivers and streams and think we solved the problem of disposal. We ended up poisioning our rivers and streams.

If you design your laterine to keep the urine and the faeces seperate you will not have an odor problem. If you add some sawbust and a tablespoon of ash everytime you use the toilet it will not smell either.

The internet and utube are filled with great functional designs. Many green conscious home owners here in the USA has reverted back to the laterine and are recycling the manure to fertilise their garden beds. It’s a win/win system.

Just google “humanure systems” and see for yourself. I do however agree with you that the parents of the child should be compensated by the government.

Joe.

[Reply to this]
Charriot
In reply to the above comment on September 9th, 2008 1:40 am:
Well Joe,, Here in Long Island NY we do not have a sewer system, we use cesspools and sump systems. Trees and greenery are planted in the area of the cesspool to absorb the waste. It’s very efficient, you should google it for the knowledge.

[Reply to this]
Joe Coxall
In reply to the above comment on September 9th, 2008 5:31 pm:
Charriot,
I know exactly what you are talking about, the mother of all cesspool systems is the Calcutta ,the city of joy, where they have long since been flushing their waste in the surrounding marshes. The marshes are natures waste proccessing systems. The solids sink into the shallow marches where it is quickly broken down by microbes into neutrients that then flow into the rivers to feed an abundance of fish.

On the site earthship.com you will see houses that the creators are calling living machines. every form of waste is recycled naturally and fed into luscious gardens right in your living room.

The pit laterine is the most cost effective of all these systems, they need simple redesigns in safety and functionally and a whole local industry can be born just like the port a potty business here in the USA. All we need to do is simply, innovate

Joe.
Irreverend
on September 11th, 2008 2:31 pm

A well-maintained septic tank can go a looooooooooong while before it needs emptying.

[Reply to this]