From Vimala Ramachandran, ERU Consultants Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
Posted 16 January 2009
I am Vimala Ramachandran working with the Educational Resource Unit at ERU Consultants Pvt. Ltd.
My colleagues - Bharat K. Patni and Nishi Mehrotra - and I are working on a field-based study to explore the inter-linkages between water, sanitation and school participation, with specific reference to adolescent girls. We are conducting this study for UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia and UNICEF India Office. We plan to commence our fieldwork in Uttar Pradesh in February 2009.
We are referring to all secondary literature on the theme before commencing our work. One of the documents that we have found useful for our purpose is a Consolidated Reply on the School WASH Programme, which is available at http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/environment/cr/cr-se-wes-ed-27050801.pdf (PDF; Size: 130KB). However, in the project we are specifically trying to assess the following:
- The impact of sanitation facilities and water on school enrolment and attendance of children particularly adolescent girls
- The influence of working and adequate sanitation facilities under the School Sanitation and Hygiene Education (SSHE) programme on school attendance
- Whether children from disadvantaged social groups/communities face problems in accessing sanitation facilities and water in schools
Against this background, I request members to share their experiences on the following:
- What is the impact of providing sanitation and drinking water in schools on the enrolment and attendance of children, especially girls?
- Recent case studies that illustrate how the two may be correlated
- What is the experience of children from disadvantaged communities (dalits, the very poor)?
- Do they face problems in using or accessing school sanitation facilities and drinking water?
This information will help us to take stock of existing literature, and then take the process forward by building on existing knowledge.
Please see attachment below for the responses.