Funded partly by government agencies, the classes starting in October aim to change the perception of toilet cleaning as a menial job accompanied by poor morale and pay to one with expanded responsibilities, higher salaries and possibilities of travel for those concerned about sanitation elsewhere.

Jack Sim, president of the World Toilet Organization headquartered here, is behind the college to be set up at the Republic Polytechnic, where courses will teach cleaners to use new equipment and techniques from Japan.

"We are going to train the toilet cleaners to upgrade himself or herself to a level where he or she can take care of the entire toilet, including changing bulbs, repairing locks, repairing leak taps, doing periodical heavy cleaning, technical cleaning, taking away urine salt inside the toilet and recommending change to the toilet layout," Sim said.

Instead of the S$500 (US$303) per month cleaners earn now, the newly skilled "restroom specialists" will see their salaries go over S$1000 (US$$606).

The first batch of 30 cleaners, who will attend the college, are from a cleaning company.

The facility school is also offering a course on ecological sanitation to teach those interested how to cater to needs in rural and disaster-stricken areas.

"There are 2.6 billion people in the world who have no toilets," Sim said. "They are toilet-less and what we are trying to do is to build capacity for field engineers to go down to the farms, to the rural areas, to build ecological sanitation."

Singapore has long put a priority on clean loos, fining those who fail to flush in public toilets and naming establishments such as restaurants with particularly filthy facilities.

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