A combination of adequate water and sanitation facilities, correct behavioural practices, and education is critical for securing children’s good health, learning and overall development, Special Chief Secretary of the Department of School Education B. Rajasekhar said.
Speaking at a workshop on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), jointly organised by the State Department of School Education, United National Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Social Activities Rural Development Society (SARDS) and Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Mr. Rajasekhar said that when schools have clean toilets, access to clean water and hand-washing facilities, it would not only prevent transmission of communicable diseases but would also contribute to more children attending school and participating in the learning process.
He said the Wash in Schools Alliance (WinsaAP) drive was aimed at promoting this healthy culture. Pointing to the series of reforms introduced in the education sector to groom local students as global citizens, Mr. Rajasekhar said that schools were equipped with modern facilities under the Mana Badi Nadu-Nedu programme.
Besides, toilet maintenance fund was being given to school managements depending on the number of students. Rooms were made available for girl students to enable them to change sanitary napkins at schools and colleges, he said, calling for steps to scale up awareness among students, parents and teachers on the significance of hygiene.
He said the hygiene drive should be taken forward as a movement and every individual should contribute towards its success.
School Education Commissioner S. Suresh Kumar said that government schools had undergone a drastic change under the Nadu-Nadu programme. Under the school infrastructure development programme, clean toilets were were in focus. To ensure their proper maintenance, nearly 44,000 ‘ayahs’ were appointed, he informed.
Department of School Education Adviser A. Murali said that Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy was particular about the Nadu-Nedu project and has been reviewing the progress at regular intervals.
Pratibha Singh from UNICEF’s country office in Delhi explained about the implementation of the WASH programme by various States in the country. SARDS executive director R. Suneel Kumar said concerted efforts by schools and NGOs would yield positive results. Samagra Shiksha State project director Vetri Selvi, UNICEF WASH specialists A. Venkatesh and U. Pavani, CEE State project coordinator participated.
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