Fit For School

Fit For School (F4S): Global scaling-up of a successful GIZ-approach

The F4S approach uses the school setting to institutionalise health-promoting behaviour like handwashing, tooth brushing and maintaining sanitation facilities among children.

Summary

What is F4S?	The F4S approach uses the school setting to support the institutionalization of health-promoting behaviour of children. This includes washing hands with soap, brushing teeth with fluoride toothpaste, daily cleaning of sanitary facilities, etc. The measures in schools include a clear set of rules for routine group activities, simple infrastructural measures such as group washing facilities and accompanying measures such as public cleaning plans.
How does it work?	The Regional F4S programme combines behavioural approaches in schools with other instruments of international cooperation. This includes policy and organizational consulting for political support, the development of training material, and facilitation of close cooperation with various scaling up partners. Simple structural measures in schools complement the interaction. A monitoring system enables the accreditation of schools that meet certain standards and thus sets incentive/recognition structures in the education sector.
Where and with whom?	The F4S approach is scaled up by national and international partners. For example, the Laotian Ministry of Education and Sport has expanded the approach from 22 model schools to over 1100 schools in five years. Positive effects of the interventions aimed at changing everyday routines have been demonstrated in all countries. For example, a long-term study in the Philippines shows improved children's health and less absence from school in participating schools. In addition, it is expected that the children transfer the behaviour into the domestic context and thus strengthen the effect of the hygiene measures.

F4S and the SDGs

F4S is a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools approach of GIZ. WASH in Schools is intersectoral in nature. It has direct links to SDG3 (health), SDG6 (water and sanitation), SDG4 (education) and is indirectly linked to SDG5 (gender equality) and thereby and requests cooperation between different sectors. Strengthening the competencies of the education sector to manage WASH in Schools is crucial for the successful implementation and sustainable success of WASH in Schools' programmes.

WASH in Schools has specific indicators within the SDGs. The indicators were developed by a global expert group in a complex consultative process over a period of a year and presented to the public in November 2016. In total there is one target, 3 sub-goals (drinking water, sanitation, hygiene), 7 core indicators and 23 extended indicators. The Sector Programme Sustainable Sanitation and the Regional Fit for School Programme were actively involved in the process and were able to contribute the approaches of German Development Cooperation. The newly developed Global Indicator Framework will have far-reaching consequences for SDG4 and SDG6 monitoring of WASH in schools within the education sector (UNESCO) and through the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for WASH (JMP).

 WASH in Schools requires close cooperation between the WASH sector and the education sector. While the WASH sector is generally responsible for the provision of infrastructure (access to water and sanitation), the management of school sanitation facilities, operation and maintenance as well as implementation of hygiene standards and regular hygiene activities fall within the mandate of the education sector.  SDG monitoring is carried out by the JMP and the Ministries of Education. As ministries of Education are requested to include certain core WASH in Schools indicators in the regular annual Education sector monitoring, called Education Management Information System (EMIS). With the inclusion of the indicators in the monitoring rules and regulations, responsibility for WASH in Schools management lies in the education sector. Close cooperation with the WASH sector is absolutely necessary because the education sector needs the technical expertise related to infrastructural aspects of school sanitation. This in turn represents an opportunity for the WASH sector to start working closely with the education sector to support the latter in the technical implementation of this novel process.

The F4S approach in a nutshell

The F4S approach uses the school setting to institutionalize health-promoting behaviour of children. This includes routine washing hands with soap, brushing teeth, daily cleaning of sanitary facilities, etc. The measures in schools include a clear set of rules for regular group activities, simple structural measures such as group washing facilities and accompanying measures such as public cleaning plans.

F4S is scaled by national and international partners. For example, the Laotian Ministry of Education and Sport has expanded the approach from 22 model schools to over 1100 schools in five years. Positive effects of the interventions aimed at changing everyday routines have been demonstrated in all countries. For example, a long-term study in the Philippines shows improved children's health and less absence from school in participating schools. In addition, it is expected that children transfer the behaviour into the domestic context and thus strengthen the effect of the hygiene measures.

The Regional F4S programme combines behavioural approaches in schools with other instruments of international cooperation. This includes policy and organizational consulting for political support, the development of training material, and close cooperation with various scaling partners. Simple structural measures in schools complement the interaction. A monitoring system enables the accreditation of schools that meet certain standards and thus sets incentive structures in the education sector. (www.fitiforschool.international)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yXn6RCwN2A

F4S within GIZ

Since the start of the F4S programmes in early 2011, the Sector Programme Sustainable Sanitation has been working closely with the Regional F4S Programme in Southeast Asia to promote the global scaling-up of the F4S approach. Since 2015, the global scaling-up of the F4S approach has been a component of the Sector Programme.

The Sector Programme has worked as a global knowledge hub for the F4S approach and has inspired other bilateral development cooperation projects in the WASH, education and health sector, particularly in Africa (e.g. Guinea and Tanzania have already started own implementation experience).

• German Chancellor Angela Merkel on F4S