WASH in Schools Country Profile

BHUTAN

A. Enabling Policy Environment for WASH in Schools

 There was no Formal WASH in Schools Programme till the early 2000s. Water and Sanitation Facilities were provided to the
schools along with other school infrastructures.
 In partnership with Public Health Engineering Division and Comprehensive School Health Programme of the Ministry of
Education, UNICEF started supporting institutional water supply and sanitation since early 2000s.While Comprehensive School
Health Programme of the Ministry of Education is the coordinating agency for WASH in Schools, PHED (Public Health
Engineering Division) provides technical support in service delivery of construction of Water Supply and Sanitation Facilities.
School Planning and Building Division provides technical and funding support to school infrastructures including Water and
Sanitation Facilities mostly in the lower secondary, middle secondary and Highers secondary schools. Construction of WATSAN
is implemented by the respective District Education and Engineering Offices of the District Administration Office. UNICEF,
Comprehensive School Program and PHED supports construction of WATSAN facilities in the community and primary schools,
but hygiene promotion is undertaken for all through the school health coordinators. In 2010, Royal Government of Bhutan and
UNICEF signed an MoU to co-finance annually construction of water and sanitation facilities in 20 and 30 schools respectively.

 UNICEF also collaborates with the Religion and Health Project of the Central Monastic Body to support provision of Water and
Sanitation Facilities in the Religious Schools in the country.

 UNICEF is the only development partner supporting WASH in Schools programme in Bhutan.

B. Quality and Coverage of WASH in Schools Programming

 There are no structured guide or tool kits, aside from training about 120 school health coordinators every year on the
implementation of key hygiene behaviour for school children in the country. There are about 603 schools in the country including
the 56 extended class rooms. A draft WASH in Schools Manual for health coordinators has been prepared.
 There are no national standards for WASH in schools, however in providing WATSAN facilities, indicators of 1 toilet
compartment for every 40 boys and 1 toilet compartment for 25 girls is used.
 There is no formal mechanism for collecting information to monitor WASH in schools, however process of including WASH in
the EMIS has been initiated and by 2012, WASH will be monitored as part of the EMIS.
 Due to lack of data and information on WASH in schools, in the year 2009 and 2011, process was initiated to undertake a
Baseline Assessment of Water and Sanitation Facilities in the schools.
 97% of the schools had toilet facilities. However 73% of the schools had adequate toilet for boys and 32% of the schools had
adequate toilets for girls. Also about 52% of the toilets in the schools are pit toilets.
 94% of the schools had access to improved water source. Government standard for water supply is 1 tap stand with a flow rate of
0.1 liters/second for every 50 students and only 65% of schools meet the official standards for pupils in access to water.
 There is no official standard on handwashing with regard to access to handwashing place and provision of soap. However, ever
since Global Handwashing Day was initiated and even through regular capacity building of Health Coordinators, schools make
handwashing place in the form tippy taps and other form of portable water. Schools also promote access to soap.
 Global Handwashing Day was first celebrated in 2008, and every year all schools in the country are reached with awareness
raising on handwashing with soap.

Water Coverage in the schools1

1
Baseline Assessment of Water and Sanitation Facilities in the schools, Bhutan, 2010
 Toilet Composition in the
2 3
Schools Pit toilet
20 Aqua Privy
52 toilet
Pour Flush
23 toilets
Others

C. Highlights and Main Challenges for WASH in Schools

 Poor operation & maintenance of toilets and water sources is threatening sustained coverage. There is no operation and
maintenance cost. There are no trained caretakers in the schools, and there is no recurrent cost to meet the expenses for
consumables like toilet cleaning detergents, soap, buckets, etc.
 There is no capital cost per pupil to meet WASH standards in the country.
 Level of hygiene promotion in the schools needs further boost.
 Leadership of WASH in Schools for all levels of schools needs to be clearly identified.

D. Reference Materials
Following WASH in Schools documents are attached.

1 SSA revised framework

2 Technical Manuals for WASH in Schools2
3 Hygiene Promotion Guidelines and Materials
4 Teachers’ handbook on Hand Washing

2
But it is still in Draft Stage