FACTS ABOUT WASH IN SCHOOLS

Water, sanitation, and hygiene are all critical for good health. Schools should focus on improving WASH in schools to ensure that their students stay healthy. WHO has identified school-based water, sanitation, and hygiene as key strategies to fight the global spread of infectious diseases.

Here are a few facts about WASH in schools

1. Globally 29 percent of schools do not have basic drinking water service, impacting 546 million school children.

2. 1 in 3 primary schools and 1 in 4 secondary schools have no basic drinking water service.

3. Globally only 70 percent of schools have a basic sanitation service.

4. 1 in 3 primary and 1 in 4 secondary schools have no basic sanitation service.

5. 802 million children worldwide lack a basic hygiene service at their school.

6. 42 percent of primary schools and 40 percent of secondary schools have no basic hygiene service.

7. One-third of children without basic hygiene services live in the least developed countries and over half a life in fragile contexts.

8. UNICEF has WASH in school programs in nearly 90 countries and reaches an average of 3 million children a year.

Schools should take a unified focus on improving WASH in schools because they have an opportunity like no other organization has, using the fact that their students are at the learning age about these essential principles they need to learn. The provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in schools is a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030.