India has significantly increased access to sanitation in schools

Published on: 26/10/2018

According to the joint UN agency study, Drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools: 2018 global baseline report, India "has made rapid progress in increasing access to sanitation in schools". "Between 2000 and 2016", the report states, "the proportion of schools without any sanitation facility decreased; even faster than the proportion of the population practising open defecation". The report adds: "WASH in schools programmes provide an entry point for education, awareness-raising and behaviour change required to achieve the SDG 6 target of ending open defecation".

However, the problems that typically face WASH in schools not only concern hardware issues but also software. This was elaborated in the Insights dialogue "WASH in schools: a way forward for Odisha”. Organised by the India Sanitation Coalition, IRC, and TARU Leading Edge in association with World Vision India, on May 17, 2018 in Bhubaneswar, the dialogue emphasised that equal attention should be given to functional infrastructure and WASH practices in schools.

A briefing note on the Insights dialogue is available below under Resources..