WaterAid India and our partner Society for All Round Development recently launched a programme to make 25 schools under South Delhi Municipal Corporation as Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) friendly schools.
The programme will identify WASH challenges in these schools and build an understanding of teachers and children on the importance of WASH friendly practices. We will also form children’s clubs or sanitation committees in the schools, which will enable them to address issues such as dirty toilets and access to safe drinking water.
Delhi has more than 1,400 primary schools run by the three municipal corporations. Approximately 589 schools are under South Delhi Municipal Corporation.
Under the programme we will also enhance the capacity of school teachers and sensitise them about the importance of WASH-friendly practices.
The announcement of the programme was made at a public event held on April 29. Here we also launched a module on promotion of hygiene and sanitation behaviour as part of pre-primary and primary school curriculum. The manual developed in Hindi includes WASH indicators tailored specifically to the needs of anganwadis and primary schools and details WASH concepts with activity-based supplementary materials, which will help in conducting better trainings on WASH in schools.
The module was developed in an interactive way factoring in suggestions and thoughts of key stakeholders, experts from National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), academicians and WASH advocacy groups. The module was also reviewed by various agencies including the National Urban Health Mission, National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD), and School Health Department of South Delhi Municipal Corporation and their recommendations have been incorporated in the module.
Meeta Singh, IRS Additional Commissioner and Director Education, SDMC applauded the efforts of WaterAid and SARD and asked the school principals and teachers to support the efforts whole-heartedly.
A WASH kit containing a set of dustbins, wiper, soaps, cleaning material, and signage to promote WASH messages were also distributed to the schools.
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