The Prime Minister has launched, with much fanfare, a programme to clean India over the next five years, just in time for the Mahatma's 150th birth anniversary. A thoroughly laudable objective, but one that sadly runs the real risk of being reduced to tokenism and forgotten once the cameras have been put away. Already there are snickers in the media and cynical comments about the mess left behind after the inaugural ceremonies, proof if any were needed, that it will be difficult to change public perception in a hurry.
Along with the plans for building toilets in schools and villages, there has also been discussion about IEC programmes - information, education and communication - to create mass awareness about the importance of cleanliness and good sanitation. And with good cause - nearly 53% Indians still defecate in the open, with 47% finding it "pleasurable and more convenient", and the less said about our cleanliness habits the better. In many ways, the situation is reminiscent of 1950s America, where more homes then had television sets than bathrooms. And yet, in the space of a few generations, that picture has changed completely.
In all the public debate resulting from the PM's initiative, it seems to me that an important component of IEC has been missed; or at least, has not found significant mention. This is of course, the need for a comprehensive Water & Sanitation programme to be run in our schools. If we are truly serious about ensuring a clean nation, we need to begin young. And what better place to begin than in our schools? The present generation may or may not be educatable, but a well designed programme implemented in school over the next five years could change the future of this country.
Many years ago, I used to run a joint Government of India and UN project called Janshala. In Karnataka, where the project ran in a few blocks, we implemented a Water & Sanitation programme with the help of UNICEF that involved teaching children how to use the school toilets. This included usage, cleaning and personal hygiene, and helping the children to understand how disease could spread due to poor sanitation habits. The programme was a great success in improving attendance and retention rates in the schools, particularly of girls who are the most vulnerable to dropping out in the absence of toilets.
More interesting however, was the unintended fall out of the programme. A longitudinal study taken up at the time showed that as the children got accustomed to using toilets in school, they began to demand them at home. Over time, this led to the construction of toilets in village homes, and to families of these children also acquiring good sanitation habits. The school programme ended up having a multiplier effect, impacting not just the children's cleanliness habits, but also their families. It is precisely this kind of programme that we should be planning for the schools now.
Instead of prescribing Mr Dina Nath Batra's flights of fancy to young minds, wouldn't it be great if State governments worked out and included a WatSan module in the school curriculum? Combined with the mass construction of toilets in schools by governments and companies undertaking CSR works, this could be the one thing that changes the India we know.
Along with the plans for building toilets in schools and villages, there has also been discussion about IEC programmes - information, education and communication - to create mass awareness about the importance of cleanliness and good sanitation. And with good cause - nearly 53% Indians still defecate in the open, with 47% finding it "pleasurable and more convenient", and the less said about our cleanliness habits the better. In many ways, the situation is reminiscent of 1950s America, where more homes then had television sets than bathrooms. And yet, in the space of a few generations, that picture has changed completely.
In all the public debate resulting from the PM's initiative, it seems to me that an important component of IEC has been missed; or at least, has not found significant mention. This is of course, the need for a comprehensive Water & Sanitation programme to be run in our schools. If we are truly serious about ensuring a clean nation, we need to begin young. And what better place to begin than in our schools? The present generation may or may not be educatable, but a well designed programme implemented in school over the next five years could change the future of this country.
Many years ago, I used to run a joint Government of India and UN project called Janshala. In Karnataka, where the project ran in a few blocks, we implemented a Water & Sanitation programme with the help of UNICEF that involved teaching children how to use the school toilets. This included usage, cleaning and personal hygiene, and helping the children to understand how disease could spread due to poor sanitation habits. The programme was a great success in improving attendance and retention rates in the schools, particularly of girls who are the most vulnerable to dropping out in the absence of toilets.
More interesting however, was the unintended fall out of the programme. A longitudinal study taken up at the time showed that as the children got accustomed to using toilets in school, they began to demand them at home. Over time, this led to the construction of toilets in village homes, and to families of these children also acquiring good sanitation habits. The school programme ended up having a multiplier effect, impacting not just the children's cleanliness habits, but also their families. It is precisely this kind of programme that we should be planning for the schools now.
Instead of prescribing Mr Dina Nath Batra's flights of fancy to young minds, wouldn't it be great if State governments worked out and included a WatSan module in the school curriculum? Combined with the mass construction of toilets in schools by governments and companies undertaking CSR works, this could be the one thing that changes the India we know.
