Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Hindi: , English: Clean Indian Mission) is a national

level campaign by the Government of India, covering 4041 statutory towns to clean the streets,
roads and infrastructure of the country.[1][2][3]

This campaign was officially launched on 2 October 2014 at Rajghat, New Delhi, where Prime
Minister Narendra Modi himself wielded broom and cleaned a road. The campaign is India's biggest
ever cleanliness drive and 3 million government employees and schools and colleges students of
India participated in this event.[4][5] The mission was started by Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of
India, nominating nine famous personalities for this campaign, and they take up the challenge and
nominate nine more people and so on(like the branching of a tree). It has been carried forward since
then with famous people from all walks of life joining it.

Contents
[hide]

1 History
2 Objectives
o 2.1 Components
3 Nominees
4 Swachh Bharat Run
5 Swachh Bharat Apps
6 Swachh Bharat Short Film
7 See also
8 References

History[edit]
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was announced by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Indian
Independence Day & launched on 2 Oct 2014, Gandhi Jayanti. On this day, Modi addressed the
citizens of India in a public gathering held at Rajghat, New Delhi, India and asked everyone to join
this campaign.[6] Later on this day, Modi himself swept a parking area at Mandir Marg Police Station
followed by pavement in Valmiki Basti, a colony of sanitation workers, at Mandir Marg, near
Connaught Place, New Delhi.[7]

On 2 October, Anil Ambani, an Indian industrialist and a participant in this event, told in a
statement[8]

I am honoured to be invited by our respected Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi to join the
"Swachh Bharat Abhiyan"... I dedicate myself to this movement and will invite nine other leading
Indians to join me in the "Clean India" campaign...

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee asked every Indian to spend 100 hours annually in this drive.
This campaign is supported by the Indian Army, Border Security Force, Indian Air Force and India.[9]
Objectives[edit]
This campaign aims to accomplish the vision of 'Clean India' by 2 October 2019, 150th birthday
of Mahatma Gandhi and is expected to cost over 62000 crore(US$9.7 billion).[3][10] The fund sharing
between the Central Government and the State Government/ Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) is
75%:25%(90% : 10% for North Eastern and special category states)[11] The campaign was described
as "beyond politics" and "inspired by patriotism".[12]

1. To eliminate open defecation

2. Conversion of insanitary toilets to pour flush toilets
3. To Eradicate manual scavenging
4. 100% collection and scientific processing/disposal reuse/recycle of Municipal Solid Waste
5. To bring about a behavioural change in people regarding healthy sanitation practices
6. To generate awareness among the citizens about sanitation and its linkages with public
health
7. To Strengthen urban local bodies to design, execute and operate systems
8. To create enabling environment for private sector participation in Capital Expenditure and
Operation & Maintenance (O&M) costs [11]
Components[edit]

1. Construction of Household Toilets,

2. Community and Public Toilets,
3. Solid Waste Management,
4. Information, Education & Communication (IEC) and Public Awareness,
5. Capacity Building and Administrative & Office Expenses (A&OE).
6. Over three lakh students in Delhis primary schools will become active participants in the
Swachchh Bharat Mission.
7. To encourage students to maintain a cleaner environment, the civic agencies are now
turning to primary schools. The South Corporation has chalked out an extensive plan for
an all-inclusive participation of students, teachers and corporation staff, for the success
of the Swachchh Bharat Mission, in its schools. Targeting cleanliness drive among 3.41
lakh students, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation has asked its school principals to
identify schools that fall in the vicinity of dhalaos (neighbourhood garbage bins) and
submit a report to the corporation officials. South Corporation education committee
chairman Ashish Sood said that it is important for the schools premises to be clean
throughout the day, and especially during schools hours so that the students feel the
impact of Clean India Mission. Garbage bins with zero filth would spread the message
among students, who would then relate the cleanliness against filthy conditions with
clean environment, enhancing the mission, he said.
8. As part of the cleanliness drive among students, special emphasis is being laid on zero
garbage time.
 9. The corporation has sought to change the garbage collection time from dhalaos to early
morning, as it would make an impression on students. Mr Sood said, What we see, is
what we conceive. The picture of garbage-dhalaos around the school premises sends a
poor image of the cleanliness drive amongst students, therefore it is crucial to clean them
before students reach school.
10. In addition to this, the corporation has also sought recruitment of more sanitation workers
to keep the schools and their premises clean. Also, major initiatives are underway for the
students in municipal schools.
A month after Delhi schools were asked to host the live broadcast of Prime
Minister Narendra Modis Teachers Day speech, government schools in the
capital have now asked students to report to school on October 2 to actively
participate in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, a nation-wide cleanliness
campaign.
The campaign, started at the behest of the PM after his Independence Day
speech, will be launched by Modi himself in Valmiki Sadan. Students of Delhi
government schools will participate by cleaning up the premises on Gandhi
Jayanti.
According to a circular sent out to all schools by the Directorate of Education
(DoE), students and school staff for single shift and first shift schools will
report to school at 9 am. Students and teachers in second shift schools have
to be in school by 1 pm, the circular states. Students from both shifts will first
take a cleanliness pledge and then engage in cleanliness campaign
activities for about 40 minutes. This will be followed by a special midday
meal, the circular stated. Single shift and second shift schools will get over at
11 am and 3 pm, respectively.
The DoE has also released suggested action points for students, teachers,
principals and officers to ensure schools remain clean and free of clutter.
Delivering talks on hygiene during morning assembly, taking the cleanliness
pledge everyday during morning assembly and planting saplings on your
birthdays and after it are some of the measures recommended by the
department.
Senior officials will visit the schools to ensure strict compliance.
All government schools will be visited during the campaign, not only by senior
officials of the DoE, but others as well. We expect everybody to participate
enthusiastically in this national endeavour to make our beloved country
Swachh Bharat, the circular issued states.
Besides undertaking the campaign in schools, around 2,500 government
school students have also been asked to report to India Gate at 8.45 am to
participate in a cleanliness Walkathon.
On October 2, 2014, the Ministry of Urban Development is organising a
Walkathon to sensitise the citizens of the capital about making cleanliness a
habit This is a moment of pride for all of us as Delhi school students have
been invited to participate in the Walkathon and be a part of Swachh Bharat
Abhiyan. It would be a lifetime opportunity for students to listen to the Prime
Minister live during the programme, the circular states.
Around 2,500 students of Delhi government schools will participate in the
Walkathon The students will walk nearly 3 km in this Walkathon with
posters/banners on cleanliness theme. The students should be a mix of both
boys and girls, the circular states.
You must meet Parvati Kumari, our Minister
of Health, says William Baa. She is so
popular that she has been re-elected for
three years in a row. The Minister is duly
summoned, along with the Prime Minister,
and other Ministers for Finance, Environment,
Culture and Sports. All are neatly
uniformed in blue, with hair combed
immaculately (boys) or braided (girls), and
tidy shoes. None is over the age of 17.
This is the Child Cabinet for the Middle
School in Kakaria, a remote village in Ranchi
district in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
Not many visitors venture into this jungly
area because there is local unrest.
But educational change has nonetheless
reached here, in the form of a programme
known as SWASTHH (School Water and
Sanitation Towards Health and Hygiene).
Swasthh means health in Hindi, and
this programme is all about improving the
health of basic schooling. In Ranchi district
alone, over 1,800 schools have benefited
during the last three years.
Swasthh is one of several government
initiatives aimed at changing the culture
of schooling in rural India as part of the
drive for education for all. This is a huge
undertaking: hundreds of thousands of village
schools are drab, badly-constructed
and under-equipped. Toilets, if they have
them, are typically crude and without a
separate block for girls. Attendance is
poor, classes large, much learning is by
rote, and teachers and students often lack
motivation. Parents may see little point in
insisting their children attend, rather than
do useful work at home. All these factors
contribute to drop-out, especially among
girls. If the school is not a place to which
parents can safely entrust their daughters,
they dont send them. Besides, no-one
learns or teaches well in a down-atheel
environment.
Training and transformation
Teachers training and curriculum reform
are also in hand, but they go side by side
William Baa, head teacher at Kakaria, says that
since Swasthh arrived in 2005, he has seen a
definite change in health and hygiene, and a
greater interest in education in the community
generally. The Child Cabinet is part of that: to
be elected brings status to the child and the
family. Every year we hold an assembly for
all 680 students. The students and teachers
give their views about candidates for different
jobs. Those selected are given training, and
there are also sessions with teachers, Education
Committee members, and the school at large.
When Ministers do well in their jobs, they are
awarded prizes.
This school is one of 2,830 schools in Jharkhand
to be reached by Swasthh, and every school is
different in size, facilities, student make-up,
and local familiarity with toilets and hygiene.
Experience shows that repeated rounds of training
and familiarization with new concepts work.
Because Kakaria is remote, some aspects are not
as strong as they might be. There is as yet no
toilet for boys; even Parvati cannot recite with
confidence the causes of diarrhoea; and a solid
with physical improvement. The transformation
of the school environment under Swasthh, including
dcor inside and outside the classroom, better
sanitation facilities, planting of flower and vegetable
gardens, emphasis on cleanliness, closer
links with parents and community members, and
better turn-out of students, help generate high
morale. Child Cabinets are helping to make that
happen, and as far as hygiene is concerned, the
key person is the Minister of Health.
Every day, Parvati arrives at Kakaria school
early, and checks the condition of the compound.
She has a roster of helpers, and she
puts them to work, cleaning and sweeping.
Everyone in the school has to play their part,
she says. And this includes regular washing and
scrubbing of the toilets. These are extremely
basic in fact there are only two, so they are
allocated for girls use only. Parvati ensures
that, throughout the day, they are kept clean
and pleasant. If there is a problem and a new
girl does not know proper toilet usage, I ask a
member of staff to explain. Similarly, children
who come to school unwashed, without shoes,
with dirty finger-nails or hair in a mess, will be
gently taken in hand. Parents are told through
the Village Education Committee that personal
hygiene for students is a must. Every student
contributes to the funds collected by the Minister
of Finance. They pay for replenishments
of soap, brushes and cleanser.
fence to secure the compound has not yet been
built. The Minister for Gardening is unable to
grow vegetables in the face of marauding goats.
At Reshan, a much less remote village elsewhere
in the district, the school has been taken
into its heart by the community since Swasthh
arrived everything that happens there is a
source of local pride. The compound is fenced
with criss-crossed barbed wire, the gardening
ministry tends neat flower and vegetable
beds, and mothers incorporate the produce
into daily school meals. The Swasthh dcor
team have painted hygiene messages all over
the walls in bright yellow, and the Minister of
Water dispenses water from the special water
vessel, which no fingers or hands are allowed
to touch.
Ashok Berai, president of the Village Education
Committee, says: Up to 2005, diarrhoea was a
rampant problem here. After Swasthh, radical
changes have come. Children started trimming
their nails and washing their hands with soap,
and insisting that their parents do so as well.
Garbage used to be thrown outside the house.
Now people dig pits and bury it. Children tell
their mothers to wash their hands before cooking
and eating, and their mothers do what they
say. In two years, we have really seen a difference.
Diseases have dropped considerably and
the village is clean.
No Child Cabinet is complete without a Minister
of Culture. In Kakaria, children joyfully take part
in music, songs and dancing. In Reshan, the focus
is on dramas. This is how the Cabinet helped
spread messages to the community, according to
Ashok Berai. The teachers taught the children
plays, and when the old people were relaxing in
the village square in the evening, the children
would come and perform their dramas. Then
everyone discussed the issues. The Child Cabinet
in Reshan has also organized rallies, taking
the sanitation message around the community
from door to door.
Construction is easy,
but behavioural change is not
Swasthh grew out of a programme, also backed
by UNICEF, that began nearly a decade ago to
construct water and toilet blocks in schools. But
it quickly became clear that installing facilities
essential though it is that boys and girls have
their own places to go was not the critical
aspect. Construction is easy, but behavioural
whole community buys into, takes time. For
example, when Child Cabinets were first introduced,
some teachers did not take the lead in
the way expected. We found some Cabinets
were being used as an unpaid work force for
school cleaning and other tasks. So we had to
introduce much more training and orientation
for everyone. Another problem was to persuade
Education Department staff at local, district,
and state level to own the project instead
of leaving it to sanitary engineers. Swasthh is
about changing attitudes not building things.
That is an educational aim, says Sukanya. It
is hard to convince education and engineering
staff to see things differently and join forces,
but we have made huge progress.
Since 2005, Swasthh has been known as Swasthh
Plus the Plus meaning Putting lessons to
Use. Schools in Jharkhand and Karnataka nowadays
receive funds for toilet block construction
and barbed wire fences from the sanitary
engineering budget, while educationalists have
used Swasthh to focus on health and hygiene
messages and school governance. From 2008,
lessons learned over 10 years in how to pull the
different strands together are to be incorporated
into the nation-wide push for education
for all, targeted to growing numbers of Indias
millions of schools. Through the drive for a
clean school and village, everyone has a stake
in a brighter future
change is not. One issue was maintenance: who
was going to look after the sanitation blocks
and keep them clean? Another was knowledge:
children and parents knew far too little about
health and hygiene. Out of this came the focus
on school governance, to combine understanding
with a change in parent-teacher-student
respect for the whole school environment.
.. I want to make a beginning today itself and that is all schools in the
country should have toilets
with separate toilets for girls. Only then our daughters will not be compelled to
leave schools midway. Our
parliamentarians utilising MPLAD fund are there. I appeal to them to spend it
for constructing toilets in
schools for a year. The government should utilise its budget on providing
toilets. I call upon the corporate
sector also to give priority to the provision of toilets in schools with your
expenditure under Corporate Social
Responsibility. This target should be -nished within one year with the help of
state governments and on the
next 15th August, we should be in a -rm position to announce that there is no
school in India without
separate toilets for boys and girls.
Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Independence Day, August 15, 2014

Projecttt
Swachh Bharat: Swachh Vidyalaya is the national campaign driving Clean
India: Clean Schools. A key feature of
the campaign is to ensure that every school in India has a set of functioning
and well maintained water, sanitation
and hygiene facilities. Water, sanitation and hygiene in schools refers to a
combination of technical and human
development components that are necessary to produce a healthy school
environment and to develop or support
appropriate health and hygiene behaviours. The technical components include
drinking water, handwashing,
toilet and soap facilities in the school compound for use by children and
teachers. The human development
components are the activities that promote conditions within the school and
the practices of children that help to
prevent water, hygiene and sanitation related diseases.
School sanitation and hygiene depend on a process of capacity enhancement
of teachers, community
members, SMCs, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and Community
Based Organisations (CBOs) and
education administrators. Water, sanitation and hygiene in school aims to
make a visible impact on the health
and hygiene of children through improvement in their health and hygiene
practices, and those of their families
and the communities. It also aims to improve the curriculum and teaching
methods while promoting hygiene
practices and community ownership of water and sanitation facilities within
schools. it improves childrens
health, school enrolment, attendance and retention and paves the way for
new generation of healthy children.
It is the role of policymakers, government representatives, citizens and
parents to make sure that every child
attends a school that has access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation and
hygiene facilities. This is every
childs right.
The benefits of water sanitation and hygiene to school children
The provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in school secures a
healthy school environment and
protects children from illness and exclusion. It is a first step towards a healthy
physical learning environment,
benefiting both learning and health. Children who are healthy and well-
nourished can fully participate in school
and get the most from the education. Hygiene education in schools help
promote those practices that would
prevent water and sanitation related diseases as well as encourage healthy
behaviour in future generations
of adults.
Girls are particularly vulnerable to dropping out of school, partly because
many are reluctant to continue their
education when toilets and washing facilities are not private, not safe or
simply not available. When schools
have appropriate, gender-separated facilities, an obstacle to attendance is
removed. Thus having gender
segregated toilets in schools particularly matters for girls. Gender norms and
physiology make privacy more
important for girls than boys, and biological realities mean that girls need
adequate sanitary facilities at school
to manage menstruation. Basic facilities that provide for good hygiene and
privacy, along with sensitive health
promotion assist girls to stay in school and complete their education.
Hygiene in school also supports school nutrition. The simple act of washing
hands with soap before eating
the school mid day meal assists to break disease transmission routes.
Children get the nutritional benefits
intended, rather than ingesting bacteria, germs and viruses. Studies show that
when hand washing becomes
part of a childs daily routine the benefits to health are evident and the practice
does not easily fade.1
School is
therefore an ideal setting for teaching good hygiene behaviours that children
can also carry home.
Having safe water, toilet and hygiene facilities in schools promotes equity. All
children are equal in their right
to access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and all
children gain benefits through the
improved hygiene practices promoted in schools. By providing gender-
segregated toilets, students are assured
of privacy and dignity, a particularly important factor for girls school
attendance. By providing inclusive
and accessible facilities, children with special needs are able to attend school
and further contribute to the
development of their society.
Having a clean school fosters a childs pride in his or her school and
community. It enables every child become
an agent of change for improving water, sanitation and hygiene practices in
their families and within their
community. School water and sanitation clubs encourage students to
participate in taking care of latrines
and handwashing stations, and in providing safe water where necessary. Club
members create rotating
lists of responsibilities, sharing sanitation- and water-related chores among
both boys and girls. This also
fosters pride and ownership, and it counteracts the belief that these tasks are
only for women and girls or
particular social groups.
Children with disabilities are also vulnerable to dropping out of school.
Accessible school facilities are a key
to school attendance for children with disabilities. An effective water,
sanitation and hygiene programmes
seeks to remove barriers by promoting inclusive design user-friendly, child-
friendly facilities that benefit all
users, including adolescent girls, small children and children who are sick or
disabled. Toilets and handwashing
facilities,for example, need to be customised to fit childrens smaller size, and
water, sanitation and hygiene
facilities that are traditionally designed for the average child must consider
the fact that children have a wide
range of abilities and needs. The most cost-effective way to improve access
for all children is to incorporate
accessibility into the design from the outset, rather than making expensive
changes later. To make sure facilities
are accessible, it is essential to involve children with disabilities in the design
process. The cost of making
inclusive facilities is minimal compared to the costs of exclusion.
Having safe water, toilet and hygiene facilities in schools promotes equity. All
children are equal in their right
to access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, and all
children gain benefits through the
improved hygiene practices promoted in schools. By providing gender-
segregated toilets, students are assured
of privacy and dignity, a particularly important factor for girls school
attendance. By providing inclusive
and accessible facilities, children with special needs are able to attend school
and further contribute to the
development of their society.
Having a clean school fosters a childs pride in his or her school and
community. It enables every child become
an agent of change for improving water, sanitation and hygiene practices in
their families and within their
community. School water and sanitation clubs encourage students to
participate in taking care of latrines
and handwashing stations, and in providing safe water where necessary. Club
members create rotating
lists of responsibilities, sharing sanitation- and water-related chores among
both boys and girls. This also
fosters pride and ownership, and it counteracts the belief that these tasks are
only for women and girls or
particular social groups.
Children with disabilities are also vulnerable to dropping out of school.
Accessible school facilities are a key
to school attendance for children with disabilities. An effective water,
sanitation and hygiene programmes
seeks to remove barriers by promoting inclusive design user-friendly, child-
friendly facilities that benefit all
users, including adolescent girls, small children and children who are sick or
disabled. Toilets and handwashing
facilities,for example, need to be customised to fit childrens smaller size, and
water, sanitation and hygiene
facilities that are traditionally designed for the average child must consider
the fact that children have a wide
range of abilities and needs. The most cost-effective way to improve access
for all children is to incorporate
accessibility into the design from the outset, rather than making expensive
changes later. To make sure facilities
are accessible, it is essential to involve children with disabilities in the design
process. The cost of making
inclusive facilities is minimal compared to the costs of exclusion

Before construction of
this school toilet I used
to miss the class a week
every month during the
menstrual period and
hesitated coming to school
because I had to go to
home for urination during
the school time. Now
separate clean toilet for
girl is in the school I enjoy
coming to school every day.
I motivated my father to
have a toilet at home which
he constructed after taking
loan from the neighbour.
Ms. Tulsi Prajapati, Student of Class 8
Haripur Upper Primary School, Guna, Madhya Pradesh
Water, sanitation and
hygiene is an investment in
school children and the
health of future
generations. It helps
children realise their full
potential and prepares
them for a healthy adult
life, which can contribute to
the growth of the nation

Handwashing
can reduce
diarrhoea by
more than
30 per cent
and
respiratory
infections
incidence
by 16 per cent

Better water, sanitation and

hygiene in schools provides
healthy and secure school
environments that can
protect children from illness.
A child's memory, executive
function, language and
problem solving skills as well
as attention span respond
positively when healthy

Failing to curb the

spread of disease
threatens children's
cognitive development
and allows a recurrent
cycle of missed school,
poorer school
performance and
increased poverty

With gender-segregated toilets,

inclusive and accessible facilities,
students are assured of privacy
and dignity and children with
special needs can attend school.
When girls have access to safe
and clean toilets and water at
school, they are less likely to miss
school while menstruating

Research shows that the presence of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools
results in a number of benefits
for children, especially girls and also their teachers.
An overall increase in enrolment by 12 per cent in primary schools (Grades
1-5) and 8 per cent in
upper-primary schools (Grades 6-8), leading to lower dropout rates.
 Increased female enrolment with younger girls and boys experiencing larger
benefits than older children.
Increased retention of female teachers; and
More students presenting for exams with higher pass rates.2
In Alwar District, India, school sanitation increased girls enrolment by one
third, and improved academic
performance for boys and girls by 25 per cent (UNWater 2008).
Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: Few Global Evidences
A study undertaken in Bangladesh revealed an 11 per cent increase in girls
enrolment mainly due to the
provision of sanitary latrines. (IRC 2007).
A water, sanitation and hygiene in schools evaluation in Kenya indicated
that girls were absent less in
schools where there was more handwashing and a very high toilet use. The
association suggests that
in one way or another, the successful implementation of the Water, Sanitation
and Hygiene Package in
a school can significantly reduce girls absenteeism, a substantial and highly
desirable impact from the
project (IRC 2009a).
When water, sanitation and hygiene are missing from a girls school
experience, studies indicate that:
Up to 12 per cent of the school year missed by girls is during their
menstruation (WHO 2009).
In Uganda, 1 in 3 girls missed all or part of a school day during their
menstrual cycle

Indias strong commitment to providing schools with adequate water,

sanitation and hygiene facilities is
supported by legislation and is championed by the Honourable Prime Minister
and supported by the Right to
Education Act (2009) which necessitates ensuring drinking water and
sanitation facilities in schools. The national
flagship programmes, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Nirmal Gram
Puraskar also support this requirement.
The Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) national sanitation
guidelines provide for additional
sanitation facilities in schools, including incinerators for menstrual hygiene
management through the NGP
incentive. Following are the key policy initiatives by Government of India.
Constitution
Article 21-A free and compulsory education of all children in the age group
of six to fourteen years as a
Fundamental Right.
Legislation
Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009.
The RTE Act 2009 provides a legally enforceable rights framework with
certain time targets that Governments
must adhere to. The Schedule to the RTE Act lays down the norms and
standards (including drinking water
and sanitation) for a school building. A school building has to be an all-
weather building comprising at least
one classroom for every teacher, barrier free access, separate toilets for boys
and girls, safe and adequate
drinking water facility for all children.
Supreme Court directive to all states to prioritise school toilets and drinking
water.
Policies and programmes
Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), is Government of Indias flagship programme
for achievement of Universalisation
of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner. Water, sanitation
and hygiene infrastructure facilities
are provided in all new schools.
The mid day meal Programme is a nutrition programme which reaches
almost 10 crore children daily, in
12 lakh schools. Group handwashing with soap before mid day meal is
promoted across the country in order
to enhance the nutritional outcomes.
Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) launched by Ministry of
Human Resource Development,
March, 2009, to enhance access to secondary education and to improve its
quality. Besides it also lays emphasis
on secondary schools to conform to prescribed norms of providing access to
quality physical infrastructure like
good classrooms, quality toilet infrastructure and drinking water provisions,
and norms of removing gender,
socio-economic and disability barriers.
Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) aims at ensuring access and
quality education to girls from
disadvantaged groups belonging to SC and ST population, by setting up
residential schools at upper primary
level. Infrastructure support to these centres includes safe drinking water and
toilet facilities as per the prevailing SOR rates

Every school in the country must have a set of essential interventions that
relate to both technical and
human development aspects of a good Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
Programme. Following is a set of these
essential elements:
Sanitation
Separate toilets for boys and girls, with one unit generally having one toilet
(WC) plus 3 urinals. The ratio to be
maintained is preferably one unit for every 40 students.
Menstrual hygiene management facilities including soap, adequate and
private space for changing, adequate
water for cloth washing and disposal facilities for menstrual waste, including
an incinerator and dust bins.
Daily handwashing with soap before mid day meal
Sufficient group handwashing facilities allowing groups of 10-12 students to
wash hands at the same time.
The handwashing station should be simple, scalable and sustainable, relying
on usage of minimum water.
These handwashing facilities can be developed using local materials.
Group handwashing with soap sessions are conducted before the mid day
meals are served, and are
supervised by teachers, who emphasise good handwashing techniques. The
handwashing sessions are used
as an opportunity for delivering hygiene messages, especially the message
that hands should be washed at
two critical times: before eating and after using the toilet. The sessions can
also be used to deliver messages
on sanitation and drinking-water safety. Adequate time allocation (preferably
10-12 mins) before the mid day
meal time, to ensure that every child and teacher can wash hands with soap,
conveniently.
Drinking water
Daily provision of child-friendly and sustainable safe drinking water and
adequate water for handwashing.
In addition water for school cleaning and also food preparation and cooking.
Safe handling and storage of
drinking water should be practised throughout the school.
Operation and maintenance (O&M)
All water, sanitation and handwashing facilities need to be clean, functional
and well maintained to ensure
that the intended results are achieved and capital investments made in
installing these systems are not lost.
Annual Maintenance Contracts can be issued, which will include regular
maintenance of facilities, regular
supply of cleaning materials, consumables like soap, disinfectants, brooms,
brushes, buckets etc. The AMC
may include identification of repair tasks and arrangement for repair facilities.
Alternatively some local
arrangements can be made, which can include appointment of local
sweepers/cleaners, appointed by the
school/district, who are provided with a regular supply of consumables.
Regular/daily inspection of water and sanitation facilities by an appropriate
group of persons as appointed
by the SMC.
Behaviour change activities
Water, sanitation and hygiene behaviour change communication activities
should be part of the daily
routine of all children. Hygiene messages may be integrated into the textbook
curriculum or may be
imparted through supplementary reading materials, activity based learning
methodologies or even during the morning assembly sessions
Girls must be taught menstrual hygiene management by female teachers in
a sensitive and supportive
manner and also take steps to encourage and support girls during
menstruation so they do not miss
school. This involves menstrual hygiene education sessions at school, along
with steps to ensure that girls
have a private place to wash and change their clothes. Existing facilities will
be used in some cases; in other
situations, a new facility will need to be constructed. Other steps that can be
taken to support girls include
stockpiling extra sanitary pads and clothes (such as school uniforms) for
emergencies, along with enhanced
training programmes for teachers.
Enhanced capacities
It is essential that capacities are improved at various levels within the sector,
to develop the right mix of
skills, knowledge and experience to facilitate, finance, manage and monitor
water, sanitation and hygiene
programmes in schools effectively. For example teachers and SMCs need to
understand ways of ensuring
equitable use and maintenance of facilities, making sure hygiene is
adequately promoted and that monitoring
of these elements take place regularly at the school level. Furthermore, new
learnings need to be infused in the
sector, along with newer ways of programming and implementing a water,
sanitation and hygiene programme in schools