Millions of children return to schools that still can’t provide clean water or a working toilet

A new academic year is underway in many countries across the world, yet millions of children still attend schools where the water is unsafe to drink, toilets are unusable and there is nowhere to properly wash their hands. That’s according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and child rights agency UNICEF that reviews progress on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in schools from 2015 to 2025. WASH services are critical at schools as they can impact learning, health, and dignity, particularly for girls.During this period, the proportion of schools with basic drinking water services rose from 67 per cent to 78 per cent. Global coverage of basic sanitation also increased, up from 67 per cent to 77 per cent, as did basic hygiene, from 59 per cent to 72 per cent. Progress in dangerDespite these improvements, the report warns that the world remains off track in ensuring universal access by 2030, as stipulated under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It reveals that in 2025: 429 million school-age children lacked drinking water services at school460 million lacked a basic sanitation service 545 million lacked a basic hygiene service, with water and soap for handwas...