Schools are decrying ballooning water bills as washing hands becomes mandatory a first line measure to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus.

According to schools’ management, daily water consumption in the institutions has tripled from the hand washing exercise.

“Frequently washing of hands by students has seen the water bill rise dramatically,” Innocent Hategekimana, the head teacher of Groupe Scholaire Butamwa in Nyarugenge district told Rwanda Today on phone.

Mr Hategekimana noted that the monthly water bill has increased from the normal range of between Rwf15,000 and Rwf20,000 to over Rwf70,000.

Unlike some schools that were already connected with water pipes before the directive, some of the schools have to first connect to the water supply pipes to meet the requirements.

Fidele Bahati, the head teacher of Groupe Scholaire Kanyinya told Rwanda Today that the situation has imposed new challenges as the school was obliged to first get connected.

Piping challenge

According to Mr Bahati, before the washing hands exercises imposed, the school paid an average Rwf7,500 every month for water, but this has doubled to Rwf15,000 for lower primary along with the cost of laying the pipes.

According to the Ministry of Education’s 2018 report, only 27.5 per cent of nursery schools are connected with safe drinking water, while 29.6 per cent rely on a rainwater harvesting system.

The report indicates that 53.6 per cent of primary schools are connected with improved drinking water, while 76.5 per cent of them have rainwater harvesting systems that allow them to use such harvested water in various activities.

The government allocates Rwf1,215 per child as a capitation grant that supports the school in the acquisition of some of the teaching materials every trimester and Rwf56 on the daily feeding programme.

However, most school managers said they are considering requesting parents’ contributions as their budgets allotments are woefully inadequate.

According to the Ministry of Education offcials, the issue is under consideration by various concerned institutions