ABSTRACT
This study aimed to assess the awareness of the key school stakeholders who are the parents and learners of the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene for all (WASH) in Schools (WinS) project of the Department of Education (DepEd). With the use of descriptive and quantitative research design, the data were gathered through the use of survey questionnaire from 496 students and their parents. The results revealed that the learners and parents both agreed that they are aware of the implementation of WASH-WinS project in their school. Moreover, there is no significant difference between the assessments of learners and parents. Hence, recommendations were given in the plan of action to add knowledge to the students thru seminars on water, sanitation and hygiene.
Keywords: WASH-WinS Project, stakeholders’ awareness, water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools, communicable diseases
INTRODUCTION
The challenges of water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) practices in communities of developing countries, such as the Philippines, are becoming alarming due to incessant reported cases of water related illnesses, which continue to be one of the major health challenges in many communities of these nations [UNICEF, 2008].
Accordingly, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (2008) and the World Health Organization (WHO) (2010), reported that inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene issues account for a large part of the burden of illness and death in developing countries like the Philippines.
With a number of reported cases of water related diseases in the hospitals and in the primary health care centers, which is a clear indication that drinking water contamination, poor sanitation, and abysmal hygiene practices needs to be addressed is imperative to find possible ways on how the communities could be reached to provide solution towards the looming danger imposed on public health.
The teacher-student-parent-community approach on WaSH practices has been stressed to be a route for good and acceptable hygiene and sustainable practices can be tackled. This is because the schools serve as an avenue for total community sanitation campaign. It has also been established that safe WaSH in schools can improve health, boost education accomplishment, promote gender fairness and have a constructive influence on communities (UNICEF/IRC, 2012).
Likewise, the schools are recognized as the primary place in the community where the students stay during most of their waking time. It is said that the school‘s sanitation and hygiene education have been given importance and the effective implementation of plans on physical infrastructure, hygiene education and monitoring at school will result to a change in schools children’s behavior that seemingly, it will have an impact on the community.
In the locale of the study, which is the public elementary schools in the sub-office of Cuenca, Batangas, face problems on the inadequate and poor quality of water supply, limited toilet stalls, poor hygiene, no water for flushing, lack of handwashing stations, and poor waste management. These problems are faced by the learners and teachers in the everyday situations in the schools. Interventions are always under way such as improving water infrastructure, constructing sanitary facilities, and promoting hygiene education. But these challenges are to be faced not only by the teachers and learners but also parental involvement is greatly needed in order to address these aforementioned challenges.
Hence, this study is undertaken in order to find out the awareness of the key stakeholders in school about the WASH-WinS Project. The key stakeholders mentioned in the present study are consist of the learners and their parents. The end view of determining the awareness of the key stakeholders is to draft a plan of action on increasing the awareness of the said stakeholders of the project WASH-WinS.
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