Two in five schools (43 per cent) around the world lacked access to basic handwashing facilities in 2019, a key condition for educational institutes to be able to operate safely amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a joint report.

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In the 60 countries at highest risk of health and humanitarian crises due to COVID-19, three-quarters of children lacked basic handwashing service at their schools at the start of the outbreak.
In the least developed countries, seven out of 10 schools lacked basic handwashing facilities and half of schools lacked basic sanitation and water services, said the report, titled "Progress on Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools".
In the 60 countries at highest risk of health and humanitarian crises due to COVID-19, three-quarters of children lacked basic handwashing service at their schools at the start of the outbreak.
Half of all children lacked basic water service, while more than half lacked basic sanitation service, the report finds.
Overall, one in three schools worldwide had either limited drinking water service or no drinking water service at all.
"Global school closures since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic have presented an unprecedented challenge to children’s education and well-being," said Henrietta Fore, Unicef executive directo.
Source-IANS
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