2 in 5 schools did not have handwashing facilities before COVID-19 outbreak: UNICEF

Representative image (Image: Reuters).

Almost half the schools across the world did not have access to basic handwashing facilities in 2019, data from the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report revealed on August 13.

At a time when schools are struggling to reopen and function amid a pandemic, data has revealed that students of 43 percent schools (i.e. two out of five schools) did not have access to basic handwashing facilities -- soap and water.

All schools that reopen amid the COVID-19 crisis will have to ensure they can provide at least basic handwashing facilities to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Henrietta Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF, said: “Global school closures since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic have presented an unprecedented challenge to children’s education and wellbeing. We must prioritise children’s learning. This means making sure that schools are safe to reopen – including with access to hand hygiene, clean drinking water, and safe sanitation.”

The report also revealed that in the least developed countries, the number of schools lacking basic handwashing facilities was higher, with half of them even lacking basic sanitation and water services.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said: “Access to water, sanitation and hygiene services is essential for effective infection prevention and control in all settings, including schools. It must be a major focus of government strategies for the safe reopening and operation of schools during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic.”

As per the JMP report, as many as 818 million children around the world lack access to basic handwashing facilities at their schools, which exposed them to the risk of contracting COVID-19 among other contagious diseases. Of them, 355 million went to schools that had water but no soap, and 462 million went to schools that had neither available. Over one-third of these children, i.e., 295 million children, are from sub-Saharan Africa.

The aim of the report is to identify resources needed for COVID-19 prevention and control in schools, which includes 10 immediate actions and safety checklists involving hygiene measures and usage of personal protective equipment.