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Abstract
Access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in educational institutions fundamentally shapes children's health, educational participation, and cognitive development. The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), launched in August 2019, prioritized providing functional tap water connections to schools and anganwadi centres alongside household coverage. By August 2024, JJM successfully provided tap water connections to 9.27 lakh schools (95% coverage) and 9.64 lakh anganwadi centres (96% coverage), representing unprecedented progress in school WASH infrastructure. This review examines the multifaceted impacts of school WASH facilities on educational outcomes and child development, synthesizing evidence from India and comparable contexts globally. Evidence indicates that improved school WASH facilities can increase attendance by 5-14%, reduce diarrheal disease incidence by 30-50%, and improve educational achievement through direct health effects and indirect pathways. However, realizing these benefits requires ensuring functionality beyond mere infrastructure provision, maintaining water quality and system reliability, integrating WASH education into curricula, and addressing broader socioeconomic determinants of educational access.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Child Nutrition and Water Access
School Health and Nursing Education
Water Resource Management and Quality
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026