LUBAO -- Officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) and a delegation of health and education ministers from 19 countries will be in Pampanga on November 13 for the 7th Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (Wash) in Schools International Learning Exchange (WinS ILE).
The DepEd will host the event in support of achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
The delegations will visit Concepcion North Central Elementary School in Tarlac province and Lubao Elementary School in Pampanga as part of the five-day campaign, from November 11-15, to promote hygiene practices in schools.
The event runs with theme "Taking WinS to Scale in Support of SDG 4" and will facilitate learning on Wash in Schools among countries in Asia and the Pacific as part of the parameters in achieving SDG 4 (Quality Education).
The week-long program aims to generate political commitments among participating countries on having coordinated efforts to meet the WinS SDG targets through the two days of high-level discussions and three days of technical sessions.
DepEd Secretary Leonor Magtolis-Briones is set to welcome education and health ministers, and other delegations from at least 19 countries as the Philippines aims to showcase its good practices on scaling up the WinS program to the international community.
The Philippines is considered a WinS model country internationally with its mature level of implementation and practices since hosting the first WinS ILE in 2012.
The WinS initiative is part of Oplan Kalusugan sa DepEd, the integrated flagship program of the Department's health programs, plans, policies, and activities for effective and efficient implementation at the school level.
The event is in partnership with the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), German development agency Deutsche Gesellschaftfür Internationale Zusammenarbeit, and Save the Children Philippines.