Sanitary facilities in more than 150 schools will be renovated and equipped in the next two years. Of them, 125 will be modernized with the support of UNICEF. The list of beneficiary institutions was announced during a public event organized by the Ministry of Education and Research.

The World Bank will fund similar renovations in another 17 institutions, while the state budget will chip in 25 million lei. A public call for proposals will be launched in February.

The Ministry of Education, Dan Perciun, urged the local authorities to submit quality projects to improve water supply, sanitation and hygiene conditions in general education institutions in order to successfully capitalize on resources to ensure decent conditions for all students and teachers.

Work will start during the summer holidays.

Between October and November 2023, the Ministry of Education and Research in partnership with UNICEF supported an assessment of water supply, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure in school institutions in the country. Of the 589 facilities participating in the assessment, 175 reported using both flush toilets and outdoor latrines. In 61 assessed institutions, children can only use toilets in the schoolyard. In 393 institutions, toilet cubicles are not designed to be easily accessible to people with reduced mobility.

149 general education institutions out of the 1,203 that exist in the country do not have any indoor bathrooms.