Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that water, sanitation and hygiene services are integrated into all her Department's education programmes and strategies.

DFID fully endorse an integrated WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) approach with other human development services such as education and health, as part of a holistic approach. Water and sanitation facilities and hygiene promotion and education are crucial for all institutions such as schools, clinics and hospitals.

We support developing country governments, in particular through the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to develop, implement and finance education sector development plans that incorporate WASH into school infrastructure, supplies, teacher development and curriculum requirements. These plans are systematically monitored, including on data related to the provision of WASH at schools.

We continue to fund significant research through a consortium led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on how to maximise the impacts of WASH investments on school attendance and on health. As part of an ongoing refresh of DFID’s education policy, we will review evidence and the application of best practice on how we can more closely integrate education, WASH and other essential social services.