No school can succeed without access to clean water
When we talk about education, we usually think about teachers, books, and classrooms. But what about toilets? Or clean drinking water? As strange as it might sound, sanitation plays a huge role in whether students can actually learn.
That’s where Sustainable Development Goal 4 comes in. SDG 4 (Quality Education) is about ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all. And while it might seem unrelated, achieving this goal is closely tied to another one: SDG 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), which focuses on clean water and sanitation.
In both Canada and Brazil, efforts to improve education are often held back by poor sanitation conditions, especially in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. A student who does not have access to a safe bathroom at school may skip class, miss learning time, or even drop out. This is especially true for girls, who often stay home during menstruation when schools lack private washrooms, access to water, or proper disposal for menstrual products. Studies show that a significant share of girls in low resource settings miss school during their period because basic menstrual hygiene facilities are not available.
In my own research across nine municipalities, I compared cities in Santa Catarina, Brazil, with cities in Ontario, Canada. While the Canadian cities generally had better infrastructure, both regions face serious challenges when it comes to equity. Even in Ontario, Indigenous communities like Neskantaga First Nation continue to struggle with boil-water advisories that have lasted decades. Similarly, in Brazil, 2024 UNICEF data reveals that over 12 million children still lack adequate sanitation, particularly those living outside large urban centers.
Education policies often overlook this connection. But the United Nations has made it clear: access to clean water and sanitation is essential for learning. Without it, children miss school, get sick more often, and face higher risks of dropping out. This affects not just individuals, but entire communities trying to break the cycle of poverty.
In some places, local governments are starting to pay more attention. For example, school construction programs are being updated to include better hygiene facilities. Some Canadian schools are also adding water and sanitation content into their environmental education lessons, helping students understand how these systems work and why they matter.
Still, a lot more needs to be done. The SDGs offer a useful framework, but they are not enforceable laws. No one will be taken to court for not meeting SDG 4 or SDG 6. These goals depend on political will, awareness, funding, and community support.
But that vision matters. It reminds us that clean water and quality education go hand in hand. If we want to build fairer, more sustainable societies, we need to look at how our systems connect and make sure no one is left behind simply because they don’t have access to something as basic as a working toilet.
About the author
Claudio Klaus is a recent graduate of the Global Professional Master of Laws program at the Henry N.R. Jackman Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto and a 2025 Rising Generation Fellow with the International Center for Law and Religion Studies (BYU Law School). His academic interests include the intersections of law and religion and the study of law and water, building on his previous master’s degree in development and society. Claudio clerked in the Brazilian judiciary (Roraima Court of Appeals) and lectured at a university in Brazil (UNIARP). He is now completing the licensing process through the Law Society of Ontario. He is a licensed lawyer in Brazil and an active member of both the Canadian Bar Association and the International Bar Association.