THINGS are never quite what they seem on paper. The agreement between Glasgow and Amey, which looks after the city’s privately funded schools, stipulates hand washing and drying facilities in pupils’ toilets. So far, so healthy.
A crisis arose after Amey discovered that the kids were going through an inordinate amount of paper towels - which coincided with an increase in the number of blocked toilets.
Towels were replaced with hot-air dryers, no doubt based on the principle that far from blocking a toilet, hot air would probably have the opposite effect.
Problem solved? Not quite, because the contract specifications require Amey to supply the hygiene facilities only in the pupils’ toilets. They say nothing about staff bases, or practical areas such as art or technical rooms.
At least one school has now had to purchase an emergency supply of paper towels for use in these other areas to conform with health and safety requirements. Let’s hope the staff are not so profligate as the pupils: installing yet more hot-air dryers could blow a considerable hole in devolved budgets.
