Lived Experiences of Public Elementary School Teachers on Hygiene Practices: A Phenomenology

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is a comprehensive approach aiming to improve health, well-being, and quality of life by ensuring access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and proper hygiene practices (Hanchett, 2016). Additionally, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indirectly underscore the necessity of extending WASH services beyond households to attain universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for all. Within the SDGs, there is explicit mention of WASH in Schools in Target 4, indicated by the criteria for proportion of schools with access to basic drinking water, single-sex basic sanitation, and basic handwashing facilities (UNICEF & WHO, 2016). Conversely, Patil (2016) claimed that in developing and poor countries, inadequate and hazardous water, sanitation, and hygiene are significant causes of child mortality and morbidity. Further, teachers then play a vital role in being the informants of the school as well as the students’ WASH practices, as the comprehensive water, sanitation, and hygiene in school (WINS) program has been implemented by the Department of Education (DepEd) and published under the DepEd order number 10, series of 2016).