MANILA – The Department of Education (DepEd) should fast-track the installation of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities (WASH) in public elementary and secondary schools before allowing face-to-face classes.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian underscored that adequate WASH facilities are long-term investments that would help schools observe proper hygiene and sanitation even if coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is contained
“These facilities are important to keep learners, teachers, and school personnel safe from the threat of other preventable diseases,” Gatchalian said. “Soap, sanitizers, and alcohol should always be available in schools when physical classes resume.”
The DepEd reported last year that only half of 35,005 schools that participated in its ‘WASH in Schools’ (WinS) program have access to group handwashing facilities with soap and water available. DepEd also revealed that 37.4 percent of schools practice daily supervised handwashing.
WinS aims to provide a comprehensive, sustainable, and scalable school-based water, hygiene, sanitation, health education and deworming program to achieve learning and health outcomes.
“Hindi na kailangan ng pandemya para ipaalala sa mga eskwelahan ang importanteng mga bagay na ito. Pero dahil sa krisis na dulot ng COVID-19, kailangang magdobleng ingat tayo at laging maging handa para mapanatili ang kaligtasan at kalusugan ng mga mag-aaral, guro at kawani ng paaralan,” said Gatchalian.
“Kasama sa pagbangon ng ating sistema ng edukasyon mula sa naging epekto ng COVID-19 ang pagkakaroon ng sapat at malinis na tubig sa bawat paaralan, pati na ng mga pasilidad at programang pang-kalusugan at pang-kalinisan,” he added./PN
