Education ministry: Clean toilet culture project starts March

Education ministry deputy director-general Ahmad Tajuddin Jab says parents' support needed to encourage the culture at home too.

PUTRAJAYA: A pilot project to inculcate the clean toilet culture in schools will take off next month, says education deputy director-general (Education Operation Sector) Ahmad Tajuddin Jab.

He said several schools had been selected for the project before it could be implemented in schools nationwide, as practised in developed countries, such as Japan.

However, for the project to be implemented, he added the education ministry needed the support of parents to encourage the culture at home.

So far, we have only organised clean toilet competitions but these were mainly one-offs.

“What is more important is to continuously generate awareness on the importance of a clean toilet environment, educating children on hygenic toilet habits and ways of keeping toilets clean,” Tajuddin told reporters after presenting the 2016 national-level awards to schools which had successfully enlivened their surau here yesterday.

Last August, Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid had said that this year, the ministry would introduce sharing the responsibility of cleaning and maintenance of school toilets as a national agenda.

Commenting on the natural resources and environment ministry’s proposal that enviromental study be introduced in schools, Tajuddin said environmental aspects had been incorporated in several subjects that were referred to as cross-curricular topics.

He said for 21st century education, learning would revolve around financial management, health education and environmental protection that would be incorporated in school subjects and extra-curricular activities.

“However, the ministry will look into how this can be applied in a more organised manner,” he added.

Tajuddin said on Feb 8, the education ministry had also held discussions with the natural resources and environment ministry on developing a syllabus related to environmental science and this would be fine-tuned by a joint technical committee. -FMT