As we all know, cleanliness is important within the school compound, aside from common areas like the classrooms, canteen, corridor and etc, the toilets with high usage are equally important. In our numerous visit to the urban schools, as we observed, there are common problems with the toilets, which are due to a lack of cleanliness, maintenance problems, and vandalism committed by students.
Averagely, students spend around one third of their time at school and they need to use the toilet rather frequently. A hygienic toilets provide healthy environment by minimizing transmissible diseases, encouraging good attitude and cultivating sense of responsibility to the students. On the contrary, dirty toilets will cause sickness, disgust and a bad impression or memory for young children. This is because school is the first public space they step into away from home. A clean and well designed toilet can cultivate good habits and social responsibilities since young age.
I came across an interesting news in China Daily News where students at a primary school in Fuzhou, East China's Fujian province, were reportedly required to take the responsibility to clean the school toilets to help them nurture healthy habits. Some parents opposed the idea, but others believed that the kids who were instructed to clean the school toilets would thank the school later for instilling the spirit of rules and teamwork in them. In recent local news, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim believes that getting students to clean the toilets they use at school would help instil values in them too.
In this little toilet project at SJK Chung Hua Primary School No.1, Kuching, I took a chance to redefine the toilet cubicles at a local primary school with natural ventilation, brighten the interior spaces with natural lighting, and utilize rainwater collection for cleaning, gardening, and outdoor activities. Contrasting to most toilet in urban schools, the toilet corners are fillet to create a softer form. There is certain playful manner in the space planning, thus resulted in a non ordinary appearance. I choose to use the pastel blue color as a tribute to the school’s color theme. Since its completion, it has drawn attention to the teachers and parents, students are happy to gather there as a pick up point after school.
We hope this Little Blue Project will inspire other schools to promote healthy toilets and encourage students to develop healthy habits. For me, even a small voluntary project is worth attempting to make it as impactful as possible.