Elementary schools in Jharkhand will get hygienic package

Updated on: Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Jharkhand government today pledged to provide the soaps to 40,000 elementary schools in the state so that students can wash their hands before mid-day meals.

Marking Hand Washing Day today by launching the health education programme "Apna Swasth Apne Haath", state HRD Minister Baijnath Ram said the programme would cover all the elementary schools to train hygiene among school children.

"Bal Sansads (children groups) will be formed in different schools to monitor health and hygiene of children and ensure they washed hands with soap before the mid-day meals every day...parent-teacher meetings should also be a regularly feature," Ram said.

Job Zachariah, Chief of UNICEF, Jharkhand, said "as per a study conducted by Government of India, only about 42 per cent of children are aware of the importance of hand washing and only 12 per cent schools have soap."

Stating that at least 6,000 child deaths could be averted every year by adopting hand washing with soap during critical moments, Zachariah said children were powerful agents of change and they could spread the message of hand washing with soap in the family and in the community.

Edouard Beigbeder, Chief Field Services, UNICEF, said that a simple act of hand washing with soap could bring huge health benefits. "Hand washing with soap can reduce diarrhoea among children by around 45 percent. Every day 3,000 children below the age of five fall prey to diarrhoea, of which one third cases are in India. A research in Nepal found that act of hand washing by mothers and birth attendants reduced neonatal deaths by 40 percent," Beigbeder added.

Under the new programme, the Jharkhand HRD would provide soap, bucket, mug, nail cutter, towel and mirror.

Elementary schools in Jharkhand will get hygienic package

More Education news