Good hygiene habits lead to healthy pupils

Partnership aims to make public schools cleaner

HYGIENE is an important part of our everyday lives.

The company that makes household cleaner Domestos has partnered with the Department of Basic Education to introduce the Unilever National Schools Hygiene Programme.

The programme aims to make pupils at public schools across the country aware of good hygiene.

Domestos senior brand manager, Ant Borstlap said hygiene played an important role in the effectiveness of education in schools.

Often, the success of a school was determined by a range of factors ranging from the quality of teaching, attendance rate and the cleanliness of the school, especially sanitation.

He said if proper sanitation and hygiene practices fell below satisfactory standards, then this could affect attendance.

The need for improved hygiene and sanitation at schools was important.

The Unilever National Schools Hygiene Programme is in its second year, and aims to reach 15 000 primary schools nationally.

“The Hygiene Programme will be implemented into school curricula across the country.”

The programme has been running on a smaller scale since 2013 and last year had reached 31 schools.

The programme consists of 21 days of education about hygiene and sanitation, which includes demonstrations by Unilever brands such as Domestos, and lessons in Life Orientation classes.

Children at these schools will be encouraged to take the habits they learn at school to their homes so their families can pick up on them.

The necessity for cleanliness, according to Borstlap, affects children’s education.

“The programme is designed so that kids stay healthy and get a better education.

“Being sick means they have to go home, which obviously means they end up missing classes,” she said.

“If they practise good hygiene, they get sick less, and won’t have to stay out of school as often.”

The programme is set to roll out over the country later this month.