SHILLONG: Even though West Garo Hills district is the highest achiever in the State having done away with open defecation, it is still lagging behind in making schools ‘open defecation free’.

According to available statistics, 45 per cent schools in the district still lack sanitation facilities although during the year 2011 a total of 216 villages in the West Garo Hills were awarded the ‘Nirmal Gram Puraskar’.