'My School is Clean' Certificate for Successful Schools

With the cooperation of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Ministry of National Education, a Guide for the Development of Hygiene Conditions and Prevention of Infection in Educational Institutions was prepared. Speaking at the collaboration protocol ceremony signed between the two ministries, Minister of Industry and Technology Varank said, “Schools that have been successfully audited will be able to receive a 'My School is Clean' certificate. Thanks to this document, our parents will be able to send their children to their school in peace of mind. ” said.

TWO MINISTERS INTRODUCED

The field experience of the Turkish Standards Institute (TSE) was combined with the recommendations of experts from the Ministry of Education, the decisions of the Ministry of Health Science Board, and the criteria published by UNESCO and OECD. Development of Hygiene Conditions and Infection Prevention Guide was prepared in Educational Institutions. The guide was introduced to the public at a meeting attended by Minister Varank and Minister of National Education Ziya Selçuk.

Speaking at the meeting, Minister Varank stated that since June, under the leadership of the Ministry of National Education, children have been working for a safe return to school, and said:

HYGIENE AND SANITATION CONDITIONS: The guide is not just limited to the measures to be taken against Kovid-19. We aim to improve hygiene and sanitation conditions and follow the practices closely in our schools to combat epidemics. We tried to develop a consistent and flexible approach across the country. Therefore, we have included the practices of educational institutions that vary, such as the number of employees, structure and activities.

EFFECTIVE TRAINING: With more effective hygiene management in schools, the burden of illness of children, staff and families will decrease, healthy children in a healthy environment will have a more effective education and training environment, and our children who learn hygiene rules at school will be more conscious throughout their lives.

ACTION PLAN: In the first step, administrators in schools need to carefully read this guide. If there are parts that are not understood, we will be able to provide 1 or 2 days of training if they apply. In the second step, we expect schools to implement the measures in the guide. These practices need to be reflected in an action plan. In the plan, information such as where to find the disinfectants, what controls will be made at the entrance to the school, the sequence order in the classes and the layout plan details, how to provide ventilation, and if a suspicious situation is encountered, it is necessary to determine the appropriate area and isolate the relevant people.

SERVICES INCLUDED: Including the services that bring our children to school; In all departments such as classrooms, playgrounds, laboratories, teacher rooms and dining halls, hygienic conditions must be provided and maintained in a planned manner. We also expect each of our schools to conduct their own risk analysis.

INSPECTION ON SITE: Schools that have passed the implementation stage will be able to apply after completing their self-assessment. Public schools will apply to our Ministry of National Education, while private schools will apply to TSE. After the application, our expert teams will inspect, control and document these schools on site.

NAME FATHER ZİYA SELÇUK: Schools that passed the audit successfully will be able to receive the 'My School is Clean' certificate within the same week. The father of the document, Ziya Selçuk, is our Minister. Thanks to this document, our children will continue their education and training life in safe environments, where hygiene conditions have been maximized and precautions have been taken against the epidemic. Our parents will be able to send their children to their school in peace of mind. Our children will not be brought up as a risk factor in the spread of the epidemic.

SAMPLE GUIDE: According to the United Nations, 1,5 million children die every year due to insufficient cleaning. This number; It means 20 preventable deaths every 4 seconds and every day. With this guide, we are an example to other countries and we want to be followed internationally. Due to insufficient cleaning, we want child deaths in the world.

Stating that this guide has been prepared as a result of consultation with the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Industry and Technology, TSE and the Ministry of Health, Minister of National Education continued as follows:

SUPPORT OF TSE: Our work with TSE has a special importance. We wanted to do this transparently. In collaboration, TSE provided great support in training specialists who will develop, scan and test standards in education. Our teachers received training on this subject. In which way, which school is supervised, information about this subject was obtained.

2 THOUSAND AUDITORS: We will continue our support intensively after making the guide available to our educational institutions. We have established teams on a country, provinces, and schools scale. 2 thousand occupational health and safety inspectors were trained. These supervisors will make objective assessments to understand the situation of each school.

Ministers Varank and Selçuk signed the cooperation protocol after the introduction of the guide. At the ceremony, Professor of TSE. Dr. Adem Şahin was also present.