The
provision of safe water and sanitation facilities in schools is a
first step towards a healthy physical learning environment benefiting
both learning and health. However, the mere provision of facilities
does not make them sustainable or produce the desired impact. It is
the use of technical facilities and the related appropriate hygiene
behaviours of people that provide health benefits. In schools,
hygiene education aims to promote those practices that will help
prevent water and sanitation-related diseases as well as promoting
healthy behaviour in the future generation of adults .
The
combination of adequate facilities, correct behavioural practices and
education is meant to have a positive impact on the health and
hygiene conditions of the community as a whole, both now and in the
future. The success of a school hygiene programme is therefore not
determined only by the number of latrines constructed and the number
of hand pumps installed or water connections built. Nor is the
success of a programme determined simply by what children know.
Knowledge that is not applied to hygiene behaviour in practice has no
impact on health.
The
provision of safe water, clean toilets and urinals is a must in
developing a healthy learning environment in schools. This will have
impact on both learning and health of children. But mere provision of
facilities will not be sufficient. There should be adequate number of
urinals/toilets and necessary privacy should be ensured. Moreover,
the children should be equipped to keep the sanitation facilities
clean through proper hygiene education. Therefore it is felt that the
success of the project lies not only in the provision of adequate
sanitation facilities in schools but also on whether it is cleanly
maintained, which can be ensured only through the cooperation of
students and teachers.
