By Perla Lena (PNA)
ILOILO CITY — The Department of Education (DepEd) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are moving towards strengthening the system of the DepEd WASH in Schools to promote hygiene in learning institutions at the same time contribute to the global agenda of the Social Development Goals.
Jon Michael Villasensor, Schools Officer of the UNICEF WASH section, said UNICEF is working with DepEd in crafting DepEd Order No. 10 or the National Washing School Policy. It also extended technical support for the formulation of the strategy known as the Three Star Approach.
“What is quite remarkable is the momentum that people are pushing and the enthusiasm to implement this now. There is national policy, there is a strategy to implement it, there is a recognition system for performance,” he said in an interview Tuesday.
“The mindset now is that school health is not something separate from the business of DepEd. Rather it is a precondition needed for DepEd to achieve the learning outcomes of children,” he added.
He said that WASH facilities provide safe and good learning environment for children.
Implementers of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools program are in this city for the three-day national learning exchange that runs until this November 14.
DepEd Western Visayas Regional Director Ma. Gemma M. Ledesma said the event provided an opportunity for all regions to “learn from each other”.
“Learning from each other is very important, especially that this activity is lodged on school-based management,” she said, adding that lots of initiatives were introduced in the implementation of the program.
In Western Visayas, she said the goal is clear, which is to provide water, sanitation and hygiene facilities that include health education and deworming.
WASH has already been implemented in the region’s 20 divisions although the stages vary as classified under the Three Star Approach. “Reaching the three stars means reaching the national standards,” she said.
“If we believe that our children need to be healthy to go to school, we should implement WASH. It is really proven that handwashing is a key to healthy body. It is through keeping hands clean that we can drive off infection, we can drive off diseases,” Ledesma said.
Also, Ledesma added that researches prove that there is a correlation between the implementation of WASH to the attendance and eventually the achievement in school.
The basic requirements include provision of safe drinking water, gender-segregated toilets, group hand-washing facilities with soap and water and access to menstrual pads.
Villasenor recalled that the first Wash in Schools international learning exchange was hosted by Iloilo in 2012.
“This is ground zero of international learning exchange. It happens that Region 6 has also been able to lead the implementation of Wash in Schools in the Philippines. It is providential that they are hosting it here,” he added.
Just like any program, WASH also encounters challenges, one of which is access to sustainable water supply that must be responded to by local government units.
During the three-day event, selected divisions of DepEd Western Visayas also showcase various initiatives that are implemented in schools within their jurisdiction.
