Jharkhand has started an initiative aimed at repairing water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools, closed for nearly two years because of the pandemic, alongside creating awareness on hygiene among students.

The initiative — Clean School, Healthy Children — was launched by chief minister Hemant Soren and education minister Jagarnath Mahato on the Assembly premises during the budget session on Thursday.

The initiative has two components — weeklong intensive awareness campaign on health and hygiene and adoption of Covid-appropriate behaviour among students and staff at all government schools across all 263 blocks and over 35,000 state-owned schools (primary, medium and secondary level).

The drive started on Thursday. A month-long inspection to repair water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure across all government schools that might have been damaged during the long period of closure will be conducted.

“It is the first such comprehensive and intensive programme covering all schools of a state in the country. The initiative will be monitored and supervised by the state school education and literacy department and implemented by Unicef through its partnering NGOs across the state,” said Unicef Jharkhand water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) officer Laxmi Saxena.

The chief minister on Thursday flagged off a van from the Assembly premises. “There will be one van for each of the 263 blocks and the van will visit the government schools of the block. Each van would have a mason, a plumber and a sanitation specialist of Unicef or partnering NGOs. While the sanitation specialist will impart training and awareness on health and hygiene and Covid-appropriate behaviour to students and staff of the schools, the mason and plumber would do the necessary repair work,” said an official of the state education and literacy department.

Primary schools have started reopening and there might be instances of toilets and access to drinking water being damaged during this period. “The awareness component will continue for a week while the repair of the infrastructure will continue for a month,” said the education minister.

The trained personnel in the vehicle will provide prompt assistance in minor repair works required at schools while awareness sessions would be held at each school for the school managing committee, teachers, members of Bal Sansad, Saraswati Vahini and panchayat representatives on hygiene practices and Covid-appropriate behaviour.

“It will also help the schools to stay in contention for the Swachh Vidyalaya award,” said an official in the education department.