A third of children in the world do not have drinking water in their school, which not only has an impact on their health but also limits their ability to learn, reports UNESCO in a report published on Wednesday.
“Globally, nearly one in three schools has no clean drinking water. […]. One in three schools lacks basic sanitation facilities. Nearly half of schools do not have hand washing facilities with soap and water. And progress is very slow”, points out this document entitled “Ready to learn and prosper: health at school and nutrition in the world”.
“Children in low-income countries are less likely to attend schools that provide these basic services and coverage is lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific,” the text continues.
This lack of infrastructure prevents schools from offering “a safe environment that protects against diseases, COVID-19, parasites, respiratory diseases, diarrhea”, observes Emilie Sidaner, the coordinator of this UNESCO publication. , interviewed by AFP.
This mainly represents a “challenge” for girls, and sometimes even for female teachers, who “cannot go to school during their period”, which hinders “equitable access to education for girls”, continues this health and school food specialist.
In Bouthan, a quarter of young girls do not go to school at certain times during their period, which is also the case for one in five girls in Côte d’Ivoire and one in seven in Burkina Faso, notes she.
The impact is also strong on child malnutrition, as schools without drinking water cannot cook for their students, notes Ms. Sidaner.
“There is a need to invest more in water and sanitation”, because it allows “quality learning”, she says.
Conversely, while hunger burdens concentration and the appetite for knowledge, “if learners are not healthy, well nourished and protected at school, it is all the more difficult for them to acquire the knowledge that the school can pass on to them,” laments the expert.