About 40% of public schools within the Philippines lack proper handwashing facilities and designated toilets for ladies and boys, in accordance with social business SATO Philippines.
“This might cause huge risks. Children get sick from dirty water, and young girls miss school every month because they don’t have privacy,” SATO Philippines Leader Akhito Shimojo told BusinessWorld in a virtual interview.
“We’d like to shut this infrastructure gap immediately to guard our learners,” he added.
Data from the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) in 2024 showed that about two-thirds of the poorest Filipinos still lack access to basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities.
It added that as much as 50% of the population, including children under five, drinks “surface water” or unsafe water in some municipalities of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and Region IV-B.
With poor WASH conditions and practices, children are liable to waterborne diseases, resembling diarrhea. The local statistics agency noted that diarrhea and gastroenteritis of presumed infectious origin ranked because the twenty sixth leading reason for death last 12 months, accounting for over 2,000 deaths nationwide.
In 2019, PIDS noted that poor WASH practices cause 86% of diarrhea-related deaths within the country. Of those fatalities, 35% were children under the age of 5.
In response to Mr. Shimojo, gaps in sanitation and hygiene infrastructures are directly linked to students’ academic performances.
“Schools in crowded cities or distant villages have the worst toilet and water,” Mr. Shimojo said. “The youngsters who need learning recovery probably the most are those getting sick.”
“We cannot solve the training crisis without solving the college health crisis, even with one of the best textbooks,” he added.
Based on the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), EDCOM 2 earlier reported that 41.47% of scholars nationwide are struggling readers. Of those, 2,243,059 students are under Key Stage 1, or learners from Kindergarten to Grade 3.
“We talk rather a lot about catching up on reading within the mass, but the fact may be very easy – you can not teach on empty chairs,” he said.
“When a student misses school due to a stomach illness or UTI, they fall behind,” he added. “If kids are too sick to sit down at their desks, we cannot achieve our goals.”
The SATO Philippines executive underscored that higher facilities result in higher classroom attendance and performance. “When children spend more consecutive days at school, their grades naturally go up.”
“With secure private toilets, girls don’t miss crucial lessons or exams during their periods,” he added. “When attendance is stable, teachers can finally finish their catch-up program successfully.”
SATO Philippines has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) and deployed over 11,700 handwashing devices across 587 schools, benefiting about 117,000 students in Luzon and Visayas. It also goals to expand into Mindanao to serve learners higher.
“Anywhere is a spot we are able to work with, because if there’s a necessity, we would really like to work with local segments,” Mr. Shimojo said. “We’re able to expand our product nationwide.” — Almira Louise S. Martinez