Teaching proper hygiene and sanitation a challenge -DepEd
Published Jan 29, 2020 00:00 am
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Updated Jan 29, 2020 00:00 am
By Merlina Hernando-Malipot
As the threat of the new novel coronavirus (2010-nCoV) continues to spark alarm, the Department of Education (DepEd) said that instilling proper hygiene and sanitation practices among learners remains challenging especially when these are not reinforced at home.
Department of Education (MANILA BULLETIN)
DepEd- Manila Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Maria Magdalena Lim, in an interview, said that proper hygiene and sanitation practices are part of the curriculum and are being taught by teachers to students in school.
However, Lim admitted that the follow-up especially when they are outside the school or at home is another case. “It is challenging among learners because we have students coming from various strata of the society - where some of them do not practice hygiene at home,” she said.
“We are really working hard so that when the children are in school, they are taught these good practices - especially hand-washing before and after eating.”
With the help of the teachers, Lim expressed hope that learners “are able to learn the value of proper hygiene and sanitation and the parents or guardians at home will help us in monitoring.”
Lim noted part of the challenge is that out of the 107 public schools in the division of Manila, “only 77 percent” of the Manila schools have Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools facilities.
The Division of Manila has 107 public schools - 73 of which are elementary schools while 34 are secondary schools. Lim noted that the WASH in Schools (WINs) program only started in Manila in 2018.
DepEd’s WINs is a school-based program that promotes correct hygiene and sanitation practices through hygiene and sanitation education and the provision of standards for safe water supply and appropriate sanitation facilities. The program uses a “Three Star Approach” designed to improve the effectiveness of hygiene behaviour change programs for children.
“We started zero in terms of the compliance to the Wins Standard and now, we have two schools with three stars and the rest are one to two stars,” Lim added. For School Year (SY) 2020-2021, she shared that the Division of Manila is targeting 100 % provision of WASH facilities is all schools.
To help schools to achieve its goal of increasing awareness on proper hygiene and sanitation among learners, DepEd has partnered with Domex and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for the #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable campaign.
The campaign is part of the brand's commitment to “ensure clean, safe toilets for Filipino school children.” With the goal of providing access to usable, clean and safe toilets for seven million Filipino school children by 2021, the event campaign was introduced alongside the formal launching of the “Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards” at the Lakandula High School in Manila recently.
The #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable campaign aims to “rally the nation to help win the war on poor sanitation in schools” as well as part of DepEd’s many efforts to improve school sanitation conditions through the DepEd WINs program.
Citing its own study, Domex noted that the the “lack of access to usable, clean and safe toilets seriously impacts the health, comfort, and learning ability of students.”It also shared that “84% of school teachers and school nurses say toilet-related health issues greatly increase the number of sick days students take, which could also impact their learning.”
Unilever Home Care Marketing Director Vanessa Ong also shared that “currently, 1 in 2 schools in the Philippines still do not follow national guidelines on sanitation.” Believing that a “clean and safe school toilet is a right, not a privilege,” she expressed hope that “through this landmark partnership, we join forces to achieve clean, safe, usable toilets for every Filipino child.”
DepEd, Domex and the GIZ also reinforced their commitment to the DepEd WinS program which provides practical guidance on what schools must do to achieve usable, clean, and safe toilets. Domex, on the other hand, assured that it will “continue to contribute by providing the right support and training for janitors, school staff, and students to encourage schools to adopt healthy school hygiene practices.
Department of Education (MANILA BULLETIN)
DepEd- Manila Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Maria Magdalena Lim, in an interview, said that proper hygiene and sanitation practices are part of the curriculum and are being taught by teachers to students in school.
However, Lim admitted that the follow-up especially when they are outside the school or at home is another case. “It is challenging among learners because we have students coming from various strata of the society - where some of them do not practice hygiene at home,” she said.
“We are really working hard so that when the children are in school, they are taught these good practices - especially hand-washing before and after eating.”
With the help of the teachers, Lim expressed hope that learners “are able to learn the value of proper hygiene and sanitation and the parents or guardians at home will help us in monitoring.”
Lim noted part of the challenge is that out of the 107 public schools in the division of Manila, “only 77 percent” of the Manila schools have Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools facilities.
The Division of Manila has 107 public schools - 73 of which are elementary schools while 34 are secondary schools. Lim noted that the WASH in Schools (WINs) program only started in Manila in 2018.
DepEd’s WINs is a school-based program that promotes correct hygiene and sanitation practices through hygiene and sanitation education and the provision of standards for safe water supply and appropriate sanitation facilities. The program uses a “Three Star Approach” designed to improve the effectiveness of hygiene behaviour change programs for children.
“We started zero in terms of the compliance to the Wins Standard and now, we have two schools with three stars and the rest are one to two stars,” Lim added. For School Year (SY) 2020-2021, she shared that the Division of Manila is targeting 100 % provision of WASH facilities is all schools.
To help schools to achieve its goal of increasing awareness on proper hygiene and sanitation among learners, DepEd has partnered with Domex and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for the #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable campaign.
The campaign is part of the brand's commitment to “ensure clean, safe toilets for Filipino school children.” With the goal of providing access to usable, clean and safe toilets for seven million Filipino school children by 2021, the event campaign was introduced alongside the formal launching of the “Eskwelang Unstoppable Awards” at the Lakandula High School in Manila recently.
The #TogetherWeAreUnstoppable campaign aims to “rally the nation to help win the war on poor sanitation in schools” as well as part of DepEd’s many efforts to improve school sanitation conditions through the DepEd WINs program.
Citing its own study, Domex noted that the the “lack of access to usable, clean and safe toilets seriously impacts the health, comfort, and learning ability of students.”It also shared that “84% of school teachers and school nurses say toilet-related health issues greatly increase the number of sick days students take, which could also impact their learning.”
Unilever Home Care Marketing Director Vanessa Ong also shared that “currently, 1 in 2 schools in the Philippines still do not follow national guidelines on sanitation.” Believing that a “clean and safe school toilet is a right, not a privilege,” she expressed hope that “through this landmark partnership, we join forces to achieve clean, safe, usable toilets for every Filipino child.”
DepEd, Domex and the GIZ also reinforced their commitment to the DepEd WinS program which provides practical guidance on what schools must do to achieve usable, clean, and safe toilets. Domex, on the other hand, assured that it will “continue to contribute by providing the right support and training for janitors, school staff, and students to encourage schools to adopt healthy school hygiene practices.