In my post in January I had said:

putting in some key findings into the Wikipedia article on WASH in Schools could be a nice, easy step: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASH#WASH_in_schools If anyone wants to work on this with me, just let me know.

No volunteers have stepped forward so I've done it myself now, please check:

It reads like this (still too much jargon perhaps?):

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASH#WASH_in_schools

Reasons for missing or poorly maintained water and sanitation facilities at schools in developing countries include lacking inter-sectoral collaboration; lacking cooperation between schools, communities and different levels of government; as well as a lack in leadership and accountability.[17] Methods to overcome these problems can include on a policy level: broadening the focus of the education sector, establishing a systematic quality assurance system, distributing and using funds wisely.[17] And on a practical level it is recommended to: Have a clear and systematic mobilization strategy, support the education sector to strengthen intersectoral partnerships, establish a constant monitoring system which is located within the education sector, educate the educators and partner with the school management.[17]

Reference 17 is the synthesis document mentioned above, i.e.:

Dauenhauer, K., Schlenk, J., Langkau, T. (2016). Managing WASH in Schools: Is the Education Sector Ready? - A Thematic Discussion Series hosted by GIZ and SuSanA. Sustainable Sanitation Alliance, Germany
www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2677

It is not normally regarded as a very reputable source but I think it will do for now, until something more "formal" is produced in future.

Are there other important pieces that should be pulled out from that reference?

If we put lots more detail here then eventually we could create a separate Wikipedia article for WASH in schools.

Regards,
Elisabeth

P.S. This thread should also be of relevance to the current thematic discussion on:
“Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in Schools – A neglected issue”
forum.susana.org/component/kunena/281-th...s--a-neglected-issue

Dear Katrin and all,

I finally had the chance to read your synthesis document (I picked up a hard copy at the recent SuSanA meeting in Eschborn and read that - strange that hard copies are somehow still more inviting than soft copies to read documents... ).

My feedback:

1. Excellent summary of this thematic discussion! Well written, easy and informative to read. Thank you!
2. Congratulations for having such a rich thematic discussion with many very good posts (are there any learnings why this thematic discussion worked out better than some other thematic discussions? E.g. were the moderators more active? Or is it just because it is such an important hot topic?).
3. Again, I am wondering about dissemination of results (see also related discussion thread here in response to a post by Jacques: forum.susana.org/component/kunena/27-sch...epal-india-and-nepal). Any particular plans for further dissemination?
4. Like I said to Jacques, putting in some key findings into the Wikipedia article on WASH in Schools could be a nice, easy step: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WASH#WASH_in_schools If anyone wants to work on this with me, just let me know.
5. I think we could do more in our discussions when we compare with how wealthier countries have set up their school toilets. I noted that your paper includes an example from Germany, but it would be good to reflect on this more. As we know school toilets are also a problem in countries like Germany (so it is definetely not just an issue of money!) - there are many societal issues, e.g. the only place in the lives of young children where they are not supervised by adults; good opportunity for vandalism and for teasing or even bullying other school children etc.
6. Has anyone looked into differences between private schools and public schools in developing countries? I could imagine that good private schools would pride themselves in also providing excellent toilet facilities? Do we have any evidence of that?
7. Have we reflected enough about the influence of good governance on all this? Perhaps this is an important overarching issue that has not yet been explored enough? Although to be fair, it is also one that we have little influence over.
8. The paper talks a lot about people from the education sector. Have we made any steps in contacting these people, e.g. to ensure some of them read this summary document? Does anyone have good connections to the education sector (apart from the example of Fit for School in the Philippines)? Have we e.g. tried to become part of their discussion forums or conferences or workshops?

By the way, Bella Monse asked the question at the Eschborn meeting whether SuSanA is only about sanitation, not actually about WASH; and she said the water and hygiene parts are really important for schools. I wanted to point out that SuSanA - whilst focussing on sanitation, yes - does include the whole WASH package, too. For one, I would say we are quite strong on hygiene and handwashing issues (see on the Forum here: forum.susana.org/component/kunena/23-hygiene-and-hand-washing); we also have a space where people can talk about drinking water treatment issues: forum.susana.org/component/kunena/249-drinking-water-treatment . It is true we are not talking a lot about water supply and water treatment but that's mainly because there are other forums and networks for that. But it is not forgotten about in SuSanA! :-)

Regards,
Elisabeth

Dear all,

The synthesis of our thematic discussion on urban WASH in schools is now available!

You can find the pdf-document in SuSanA's library: www.susana.org/en/resources/library/details/2677

Thank you for your interest and participation!

Kind regards,
Katrin

Dear all,

what is important to mention is that in the frame of the Sustainable Development Goals which will be driving the devlopment agenda by 2030, school sanitation will be monitored not under SDG6 which is the watsan goal but under SDG4 which is the education goal:

4.a: Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

I think that would be a very good signal. Does anybody know any details on this, how it will be monitored etc?

Thank you
Claudia

Dear "FB", please invite French speakers to the discussion as well. Cécile's suggestions are a good way to be able to have a conversation in both English and French. If there are difficulties I can try to find someone to help with translations. Thank you, Cécile, for posting the invitation in French. Merci!

Dear Ranjan Kumar Mallick,
Thank you for your detailed description on the problems encountered in India. I would like to ask you to repost your text either in the thread on Theme I or Theme II , depending on where you regard it to be more fitting. I want to prevent that other users miss your contributation because the actual discussion is taking place in the above-mentioned threads. Thank you!

Best,
Katrin

Hi,

Please find the translation of the presentation of this TDS in French.Please do invite French participants in the debate. They can put their post in French and then they can paste a google translation underneath the message in French, in the same post.
They can also use google translation to understand the posts in English. It is not perfect but at least you get a broad understanding what is being said. I will try to follow the exchanges and assist the French speakers if need be.
Bien cordialement,
Cécile

---

Chers membres du Forum,

Nous sommes ravis d'annoncer notre neuvième e débat thématique sur le thème de la

“La Gestion de l’EHA dans les écoles - le secteur de l’éducation est-il prêt?"

(EHA = Eau, hygiène, assainissement = WASH)

À partir du lundi 19 Septembre, nous vous invitons à rejoindre notre discussion sur les défis de l’EHA dans les écoles (en anglais WASH in School ou WinS) à l'échelle mondiale qui fait partie de la série des discussions thématiques de SuSanA (TDS).

Les liens directs en l’EHA dans les écoles avec l’ODD2 (santé), l’ODD6 (eau et assainissement) et l’ODD4 (éducation) donnent l’opportunité d'accroître la coopération intersectorielle. De ce fait, le leadership et la gestion du secteur de l'éducation sont essentiels pour une mise en œuvre à grande échelle et pour des programmes d’EHA dans les écoles fructueux. Pourtant, comment le secteur de l'éducation peut il intégrer les questions d’EHA et comment peut il ensuite en assurer la gestion ? Quelle est la situation dans les écoles dans le monde? Que faut-il faire pour mieux gérer l’EHA dans les écoles ? Quelles sont les changements nécessaires pour faire évoluer la situation ?

En s’appuyant sur les réflections de la réunion du groupe de travail lors de la Semaine de l'eau de Stockholm 2016, nous aimerions aborder ces questions et d'autres afin de mieux comprendre les défis et les besoins du secteur de l'éducation pour parvenir à assurer une bonne gestion de l’EHA dans les écoles.

En particulier, nous allons structurer notre discussion autour de deux sujets - (1) les questions de politique au niveau régional et mondial et (2) La mise en œuvre opérationnelles et les questions qui lui sont relatives.

Pour les deux sujets, des experts du secteur de l’EHA et du secteur de l'éducation guideront les débats, apporteront des éléments de réflexion et une analyse approfondie du sujet. Les questions soulevées par les utilisateurs du forum seront également abordées.

Nous aborderons l’EHA à l’école, le rôle du secteur de l'éducation et le potentiel de leadership, selon le calendrier suivant:

• Thème I – La question des politiques au niveau régional et mondial (19 au 30 septembre)
• Thème II – La question de la mise en oeuvre (21 au 30 septembre)

Des résumés réguliers des interventions sur le forum seront affichés pour vous tenir informés de nos échanges.

Katrin Dauenhauer (consultante indépendante), Jan Schlenk (GIZ) et Dominik Giese (GIZ) appuieront le secrétariat de SuSanA dans ce débat thématique. N’hésitez pas à poser vos questions sur le forum de discussion !

Nous attendons avec impatience vos contributions et une discussion enrichissante sur l’EHA dans les écoles !

Cordialement,
Katrin

Thank you i will participate
I have friends from Bangui and kinshasa stp would like also To participate but they are french speakers
Is there a french discussion forum also for this ?
Or may be you will translate it in french after ?
Best regard

Thank you Doc.

Will participate in the discussions.

regards,

Shaji
India

Dear Doreen,

Thanks for your message. That sounds great!
I am looking forward to learning more about the experiences you and your colleagues have had regarding WinS.

Best,
Katrin

Dear Katrin,

This is great! Especially since my Kenyan colleagues and I have had a few meetings regarding Wash in Schools and incorporation of the education sector in the operation and maintenance of the school sanitation infrastructure.

I look forward to the discussions next week!

Best regards,

Doreen

Dear Forum Members,

We are excited to announce our ninth Thematic Discussion on the topic of



Starting on Monday, September 19, we invite you to join our discussion on the challenges of WASH in Schools (WinS) globally which is part of SuSanA's Thematic Discussion Series (TDS) .

The direct links of WinS to SDG2 (health), SDG6 (water and sanitation) and SDG4 (education) pose the chance for increased inter-sectoral cooperation. Thereby, the education sector’s leadership and management are critical to broad-scale implementation and success of WinS. Yet, how is the education sector taking WASH on board and how can the sector manage it? How does the reality look like in schools around the world? What does it take for better-managed WinS? What shifts/changes are necessary to see the situation change?

Building on the working group meeting during the Stockholm Water Week 2016, we would like to address these and other questions in order to get a better understanding of the challenges and needs of the education sector to successfully manage WASH in schools.

In particular, we will structure our discussion along two topics – (1) Policy Issues on the Regional and Global Level and (2) Implementation Level/Matters of Implementation.

For both topics, experts from both the WASH and the education sector will provide leadership, food for thought and a profound insight into the topic. Questions raised by Forum Users will also be addressed.

Discussing WASH in school and the education sector’s role and potential for leadership, we propose the following schedule:

• Theme I – Policy Issues on the Regional and Global Level (September 19-30)
• Theme II – Implementation Level (September 21-30)

During these periods, regular summaries of forum entries will be posted to keep you updated on our conversation.

Coordination and support to the SuSanA secretariat with this thematic discussion will be done by Katrin Dauenhauer (Independent consultant), Jan Schlenk (GIZ), and Dominik Giese (GIZ). For any questions, please post on the forum.

We look forward to your contributions and an enriching discussion on WinS.

Kind regards,
Katrin