New Focus on Brunei's Schools

Brunei has one of the best systems of education in the region. As a country, Brunei spends over 10% of its government budget on education, among children in the country there is a 99% literary rate, and schooling for all citizens is free (while foreign residents pay only a small charge).

Since 1912, when the first official school was built in the country, the education in this small state has become world-class. It is due in large part to this, that the Ministry of Education is so shocked by the state of some of the country’s schools, particularly in terms of hygiene and sanitation in the school toilets.

The Health Promotion Unit, under the supervision of the Department of Schools within the Ministry of Education, recently carried out an inspection of the country’s schools and found that 180 of them had toilets that were of an extremely unacceptable condition.

The inspection found that in these schools many or most of the toilet doors were broken, pipes were blocked, toilets were clogged, toilet flushes did not work, basins were blocked or taps were broken and the cleaning standards were not on-par with ministry expectations.

"The sinks cannot be used if they are blocked. The same with mainholes and drainage systems," said Hjh Jamilah Hj Mohd Ali of the Ministry of Education to Brunei news provider Brunei Times, going on to say that the limited availability or complete absence of hand sanitizer, liquid soap and toilet paper was a potential health risk, putting students in danger of E-coli and other bacterial infections if they are unable to wash their hands.

In addition, she pointed out that if the students know the toilets do not work, and because they are in such an unclean state, they may decide to simply wait until they get home to use the toilet, which can lead to kidney problems, urinary tract infections and bowel problems.

The Ministry of Education has already found that urinary tract infection is common among students, although they released no official figures.

The reasons for the poor state of the toilets at schools are varied, but the most important step in rectify the situation is the training of cleaning staff, according to Hjh Jamilah. She said that staff needed to be better trained on how to use their equipment properly, and how to keep the toilets in an acceptable state.

Although this is certainly part of the problem, it seems odd that no focus has been put on the students using the toilets; they must also play their part in keeping their facilities in working order. While cleaning is part of the maintenance, students must also be aware that blocking drains or basins with toilet paper and breaking door locks can have health consequences for them and other students.

The Ministry of Education has now launched a program aimed at promoting habits of cleanliness and fostering a culture of healthy and safe learning.