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Science & Technology
Photo: DPA

Kids ill after 'refusing to use smelly school loos'

Published: 16 Nov 12 07:59 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/sci-tech/20121116-46195.html

A doctor who says school toilets are so disgusting that children are refusing to use them and developing health problems as a result, is trying to raise money to pay for cleaners and toilet monitors.

Doctor Nadia Tatros-Tajer told The Local she had treated many children with constipation and urological problems - because they were not using the toilets at their schools.

"I have a seen a range of problems like this, and after talking with the children, they tell me about the toilets at the schools - and they say they refuse to use them," she said, speaking from her practice in the Borbeck area of Essen.

"It is the smell more than anything else that is putting them off."

She said that hygiene at many schools seemed to be lacking. "A simple wipe is not enough to clean toilets. Children often miss the toilets, and all facilities should be cleaned thoroughly and regularly with a disinfectant.

"I have visited two schools, have an appointment at another and am in contact with a fourth," Tatros-Tajer said.

She said she had started a campaign locally to raise money to pay to employ toilet monitors and cleaners in schools. "They should not only keep things clean, they should also be there to talk with the children about the importance of washing hands and so on," she said.

"If parents would pay €1.50 for each child each month, it would be a good start, although we would also need sponsors and donations."

She said she had been overwhelmed by the level of support from people in the area for her plan, but admitted that no sponsor had yet come forward to help.

The Local/hc

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

09:30 November 16, 2012 by raandy
I do not want to mention the name of my children's school, but the toilets are often disgusting there also. Some times they pour a pink liquid into the toilets and urinals but they still stink.Most of the time there is no toilet paper.

I watched the ladies with the cleaning cart go into the loo and grab the waste basket empty it and move on.

Was never like that at my school.
09:56 November 16, 2012 by Steviegee
yeah, great idea, lets start yet another campaign, that will really do the trick! three guesses as to where all of the previous monitors and cleaners have gone?
10:43 November 16, 2012 by pjnt
Why are the taxes to high if not to provide such a basic service to our children such as this?? Is this cleaner incompetence or poor resource allocation? I would like to see where my educational tax dollar is going before I start volunteering cash to a service that should already be provided.
11:25 November 16, 2012 by raandy
Steviegee, insightful, are you or were you ever employed as a monitor or cleaner?
11:58 November 16, 2012 by grinners
Obviously the budget for public schooling stinks
12:17 November 16, 2012 by Steviegee
raandy, thank you, and yes i was and took great pride in providing a service until the state got rid of us on a cost cutting exercise
15:11 November 16, 2012 by sonriete
The cleaners have been fired, the money that was used to pay them, is now sent to Brussels. this is a necessary price for our European Solidarity.

If your children want clean toilets, let the apply to study in Spain or Greece under the Erasmus program. they have clean toilets there, paid for by British and German taxpayers.

Problem solved.
15:25 November 16, 2012 by agbjr
Give the teachers a toilet brush and put it into their job description. If they're so happy to teach children to be good little socialists they need to set the example themselves.
15:30 November 16, 2012 by raandy
sonriete, sorry to hear that but i assume when one door closes another opens.
16:40 November 16, 2012 by sonriete
Fine, but please keep the door those loo's closed !
16:51 November 16, 2012 by raandy
sonriete that was my mistake, the comment was directed at Steviegee, who claims to have lost his cleaning job to cutbacks,, -:)
16:53 November 16, 2012 by JenDigs
The toilets at my child's school also stink horribly... my son has told me sometimes he just "holds it" rather than go in there... I have asked about it and the response I got from the administration is that 1) they have no control over the cleaning crew at all (as it is a separate company which bid for the work) and 2) it is because the kids are messy. I didn't buy #2, so went to look for myself.... while the toilets appear clean, they stink immediately after the cleaner has been through... Cause: kalkstein remover. That stuff in the blue bottle. What is that stuff, concentrated 10 year-old urine from an elephant? It is horrific. Now, see #1 as to what we can do about changing the cleaner being used.... ugh.
20:26 November 16, 2012 by realist1961
Difficult to imagine this in a socialistic society.
03:28 November 17, 2012 by soros
If parents are concerned but not willing go fork out the money to pay for a cleaner, why dont' they volunteer to clean the toilets on a rotating basis.

I assume this school is for little kids? The article doesn't say where it is. So, where is this?
09:20 November 17, 2012 by Englishted
@ agbjr

"If they're so happy to teach children to be good little socialists they need to set the example themselves."

Would you not think this was a cost cutting exercise brought about by austerity savings from the haves against the have nots and not a "socialist " brainwashing scheme.

@ realist1961

"Difficult to imagine this in a socialistic society. "

Not difficult impossible maybe we should try building a "socialistic society. "

@raandy

Or as they now say in Southern Europe

"One door closes another one shuts "
11:04 November 18, 2012 by jodessa
pay an extra 1.50 a month?? Don't taxes pay for schools? Don't kids have a right to clean bathrooms?? Sorry, hire a janitor to be at the schools and clean the loos. My daughter too avoids the bathrooms.....they are poorly designed (sing in front of the door, so when you open it, you knock over person washing hands...), plus there is hardly any toilet paper. Sad
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