On December 23, 2024, the Department of Education (DepEd) issued DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2024 , providing comprehensive guidelines for class and work suspension during disasters and emergencies. This order reaffirms DepEd’s commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of learners, teachers, and personnel while emphasizing the importance of learning continuity during such events. Key Highlights of DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2024 1. Rationale DepEd upholds its dual mandate of safeguarding the welfare of learners and personnel while maintaining academic continuity. This policy recognizes: The vulnerability of disaster-prone areas. The necessity of adopting flexible learning modalities, such as modular or online learning, during in-person class suspensions. The importance of balancing safety and academic progress. 2. Scope The guidelines are mandatory for: All public schools. DepEd-operated Community Learning Centers under the Alternative Learning System (ALS). Private schools and educati...
Establishing a daily group handwashing routine in schools is more than just a hygiene practice—it's a life-saving habit. This simple, structured activity fosters a culture of cleanliness, encourages cooperation, and most importantly, prevents the spread of infectious diseases among children. With just a bit of planning and consistency, handwashing with soap can become a natural part of every student’s day.
🕘🌞The Best Time to Wash Hands as a Group: Before Meals
The most effective time to implement daily group handwashing is before eating, especially during recess or lunchtime. At this time, children's hands are often exposed to bacteria from play or classroom activities. Washing hands together ensures that everyone cleans their hands right before consuming food, drastically reducing the risk of ingesting germs.
Teachers play a pivotal role in initiating and maintaining this habit. At the beginning of the school year or term, the teacher can introduce the routine, explain its importance, and lead by example. Over time, this becomes a shared ritual that strengthens both health and teamwork.
🧽🧴Always Keep Soap Accessible for All Students
Soap must always be available at the group handwashing facility. A practical method is to place bar soap inside a net or stocking and securely tie it near the water source. This keeps it from being misplaced and makes it easy for several children to use at once.
In situations where soap theft or loss becomes an issue, teachers can keep the soap safely stored and bring it out during designated handwashing times. This ensures sustainability of the program and minimizes wastage.
🧑🏫🎺Student Leaders Make the Process Smooth and Fun
To make the activity more efficient, teachers can assign and train student volunteers to guide their classmates during the handwashing session. Appointing a student leader who uses a whistle or hand signals to form lines and direct students helps keep the process organized and time-efficient.
This small leadership opportunity empowers children, builds responsibility, and reinforces peer influence in promoting healthy hygiene practices.
🚿🖐️Conserve Water While Ensuring Clean Hands
In water-scarce environments, water conservation is essential. Here's how: children should only use water to wet their hands at the beginning and to rinse at the end. During the lathering phase, the tap should remain closed. This simple adjustment can save gallons of water daily, especially when implemented school-wide.
Once students get used to the flow of the activity, it runs smoothly. Typically, within a week, the teacher's role shifts from guiding every step to merely supervising the process.
🧠📣Reinforce Handwashing Beyond Group Time
While daily group handwashing is a powerful anchor habit, it's vital that children are reminded to wash their hands after using the toilet, after playing, before handling food, and before eating outside group time.
The goal is to make handwashing with soap a personal and social norm. When children carry these lessons home, they influence their families and communities, becoming agents of change in the larger movement toward better public health and hygiene.
🧼🖐️The Right Way to Wash Hands: A Quick Refresher
Even within a group setting, technique matters. Here's how to wash hands thoroughly:
-
Apply soap and rub to create lather. Scrub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds.
-
Rub palms together and interlace fingers to clean between them.
-
Rub backs of fingers and fingertips against the opposite palm.
-
Grasp and twist each thumb with the opposite hand.
-
Rub one palm against the back of the other hand, then switch.
-
Rinse under running water.
Always air dry your hands. Avoid using towels—they quickly become contaminated after one use.
🌍💬Join the Global Handwashing Movement
We all have a part to play in promoting handwashing with soap. It starts with setting the example at school and home. By integrating this practice into our daily routines, talking about it openly, and encouraging others to adopt it, we contribute to a global culture of health and disease prevention.
Make daily group handwashing a cornerstone of your school's health program—and watch how small sudsy steps lead to giant leaps in community wellness.
Comments
Post a Comment