Hygiene Education
Learning Objectives
1. To define hygiene education.
2. Relate 3 ways it could be incorporated into a school environment.
3. Relate the different methods used in teaching hygiene
4. To design an appropriate hygiene educational activity suitable for children.
Materials
Overhead Slide 3 – Hygiene Education
Handout 5 and 6.
Stationary materials for group activity, soap, buckets of water.
Optional Session – Story circles, glitter, soap, water, pouring jug.
Time – 2 hours
Content and Process
Introduction
Use Overhead 3 to introduce the definition of Hygiene Education.
Software components of a School Sanitation and Hygiene Education Programme
Software refers to the activities aiming to promote conditions at school and practices of school staff and students that prevent water and sanitation related diseases (UNICEF & IRC, 1998).
Defining Hygiene Education
Hygiene education itself is defined as all activities aimed at encouraging behaviors and conditions that help to prevent water and sanitation related diseases (IRC 1991).
In the Maldives
· It is not adequately covered under Environmental Studies.
· It is an essential but underutilized component of the School Health Programme.
· It applies not only to the students, but the staff including teachers, laborers, toilet attendants and health assistants and PTA’s – everyone responsible for making the school environment healthy!
Leaving the Overhead up, ask the group to suggest as many different activities that can think of that fit under the definition. Write these up as they are suggested.
To assist them keep in mind the following suggestions
· Promoting the use of toilet facilities
· Encouragement to look after the facilities
· Hand washing with soap at the critical times
· Safe rainwater collection and storage
· Personal hygiene
· Hygiene surveys
· Including it in job descriptions/roles
· Adapting facilities to suit smaller children and to be easy to clean.
Designing Hygiene Education for Children
Distribute Handout 5 and allow the participants time to read it.
Optional Component
- Demonstration o Story Circles or Glitter Germs if time allows.
Activity - Group Designs of a Hygiene Education Activity
Separate the group into smaller groups of no more than 5 participants. Explain that for the next 20-30 minutes they will need to design a 10 minute hygiene educational activity for children using the materials available to them.
The activity must stress an important hygiene message without simply giving a talk. It must engage the students. It must be practical and fun. If possible it must use child to child learning. They must specify which age group they are targeting.
Once they are ready you have the option of either trialing this with groups of no more than 10 students. Alternatively if this is not practical the participants can act as the students.
Upon completion ask the group which they thought was the most imaginative and effective activity. How was the response from the children/group? How could they improve the session?
Distribute Handout 6 –Ideas for Practical Hygiene Education
Ideas for Practical Hygiene Education
6
Module 3