Background and rationale for school sanitation and hygiene education

The paper describes the importance of school sanitation in 8 steps. In the global context it reminds us of the 2.3 billion people still without access to sanitation facilities and the diseases caused by poor sanitation. The importance of sanitation and hygiene for school-aged children is stressed as well as the important role schools could play in reaching the fundamental right of access to sanitation facilities and the prevention of water related diseases by providing these facilities.
After mentioning the present situation in schools, the paper looks from various perspectives at the link between health and learning. Seen from the health perspective school hygiene and sanitation are important because controlling infections in children helps to reduce them in the adult population. As most infections are preventable, the emphasis should be on key interventions to break the transmission of these diseases which can be done by improving sanitation and promoting hygiene. From the learning perspective better learning results of healthy children as well as a positive association between education and productivity are seen. The gender perspective deals with the strong negative impact poor sanitation conditions have on girls caused by their staying at home or having to walk long distances to fetch water. Finally, the child's perspective mentions children's receptiveness to new ideas, their ability to change their behaviour, and their future role as role models and parents.

The paper ends with opportunities and lessons learned, sharing the experience that school sanitation facilities alone will not be sustainable. Behavioural change leading to proper use and maintenance of the facilities and hygienic behaviour is needed. The effectiveness of school sanitation programmes is also increased by involvement of the community. The targets of Vision 21 targets, UNICEF beyond the year 2000, Child-friendly Schools Framework, and the FRESH Start Initiative all include opportunities and plans for the future to improve child health through school sanitation and hygiene education.