When kids are able to access to safe water, soap for hand washing and toilets at school, they have an environment of higher quality to learn, to study and to be aware of their entire potential.
The supply of water at schools is one of the ‘most efficient practices in improving learning outcomes and access’. Despite of the need for water to maintain environmental and personal hygiene, decreasing the number of students who are dehydrated in schools has been related to improved cognitive skills.
In 2016, as a whole, sixty nine per cent of schools had an improved source of drinkable water with water obtainable and were as a consequence registered as giving access to a basic drinkable water service. Another twelve per cent of schools had an improved source but water wasn’t available while the survey was made therefore they were classified as giving access to a limited service. Nineteen per cent of schools across the world had no service, which means that they either depended on unimproved sources, like an unprotected spring, unprotected dug well or surface water, or they did not have any facilities. It means that almost 570,000,000 children across the world lacked a basic service and had either no drinkable water service at their school or a limited one.
If schools have safe water, soap for hand washing and toilets, kids have a healthier educational environment and it is more probable that girls attend when they’re on their period.
Kids who are educated about safe water, hygiene and sanitation behaviours at school can create positive life-long habits in their communities and their houses.
Nevertheless, millions of kids go to school each day in unsafe educational environments, with no correct toilets, no drinkable water, and no soap for washing their hands.
The most recent global evaluation from World Health Organisation and UNICEF defines global, national and regional level estimates of improvement regarding the Sustainable Development Goal objectives for both education and WASH.
“If education is the key to help kids escaping poverty, access to sanitation and water is key to help children safely maximising their education. To ignore this is to be careless with the health and well being of children,” said Kelly Ann Naylor, Global Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF. “Nevertheless, we face the difficult battle of ensuring funds are prioritized to maintain and install basic water, hygiene and sanitation services in every schools.”
Water for drinking purposes
– As a whole only sixty nine per cent of schools have a basic drinkable water service.
– One in six secondary school and one in four primary schools do not have drinkable water service.
– Worldwide, almost 600,000,000 kids lack a basic drinkable water service at their school. Less than two thirds of schools in South and Central Asia and half the schools in Oceania have a basic drinkable water service.
Water for toilets
– As a whole only sixty six per cent of schools have basic toilet and washing facilities.
– One in eight secondary schools and one in five primary schools do not have toilet and washing facilities.
– One third of schools in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania do not have toilet and washing facilities. In most countries where information is obtainable, less than half of schools have accessible toilets for students with reduced mobility.
– Worldwide, 600,000,000 kids do not have basic toilet and washing facilities at school.
Water for hand washing
– Almost 900,000,000 children across the world lack a basic water hygiene service at their school.
– Over a quarter of secondary schools and one in three primary schools do not have hygiene service.
– Over one third of schools across the world and half of schools in the least developed countries do not have hygiene service.
– UNICEF has WASH in school programmes in more than ninety countries, this represents an average of 3,000,000 kids a year.
