PARIS: One in three children worldwide does not have access to clean drinking water while at school, impacting their health and ability to learn, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

“Globally, almost one in three schools has no drinking water from an improved source,” the UN cultural agency UNESCO said in a new report. “One in three schools worldwide has no basic sanitation,” meaning a toilet and sewage system, the agency found, while “almost half of schools do not have handwashing facilities with water and soap”.

Clean drinking water and handwashing facilities are key to protecting children against the likes of Covid-19, said school health and nutrition expert Emilie Sidaner. Schools without clean drinking water cannot prepare meals for students, contributing to child malnutrition, she said, adding that lack of running water and soap is also a major challenge for girls who “cannot go to school during their period.”

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2023