A child can have the sharpest learning app in the world and still fall behind if they can’t attend school safely. That’s the uncomfortable reality behind International Day of Education on 24 January. While education systems debate the promise of artificial intelligence, millions of children are still blocked by problems that are far less complex: being out of school altogether, missing key skills, or facing conditions that make attendance hard to sustain.
This year’s theme, “AI and Education: Human Agency in an Automated World”, is a useful lens. It asks a simple question: as machines do more, how do we keep people in control of learning, decision-making, and opportunity? The answer starts long before any classroom adopts AI. It starts with whether children can get through the school gate, stay there, and learn in safe, dignified conditions.
The scale of the education gap is still stark
The numbers are not subtle:
- 244 million children and adolescents worldwide are out of school.
- 617 million children and adolescents cannot read or do basic mathematics.
- In sub-Saharan Africa, less than 40% of girls complete lower secondary school.
These figures point to deep inequality. They also point to something else: progress is being held back by barriers that have been known for decades. Conflict, poverty, displacement, disability, and gender discrimination all play a part. School costs, teacher shortages, and weak infrastructure compound the damage. Technology can help in parts of that picture – but it cannot substitute for the conditions that allow learning to happen in the first place.
AI is accelerating. Basic readiness is not.
AI systems are improving quickly. Tools that generate text, translate, tutor, assess, or summarise content are now widely available. Education authorities are also under pressure to modernise, often with limited budgets.
That mix can create a risk: attention moves to the most advanced tools, while essential services remain underfunded. If a school lacks reliable water, safe toilets, or handwashing facilities, the learning day is repeatedly disrupted. Children miss time through illness. Teachers lose time managing preventable problems. Attendance becomes inconsistent, and learning gaps widen.
AI can support teachers and learners. It can reduce workload in planning and administration. It can offer extra practice, feedback, and accessible content. But it cannot fix a child missing school because the environment is unsafe or humiliating.
WASH is not the only barrier, but in many places, it is a major one
Not every out-of-school child is out of school because of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene). Many factors can lead to absence or dropout. Still, WASH remains one of the most common, practical barriers that can be addressed through planning, funding, and maintenance.
Across many regions, schools lack:
- Safe drinking water.
- Adequate toilets.
- Handwashing points with soap.
- Basic hygiene measures that reduce the spread of infection.
When those basics are missing, it creates a chain reaction:
- More illness and absenteeism.
- Lower concentration and comfort in class.
- Reduced teacher time.
- In some settings, higher dropout.
This is where “human agency” becomes very real. A child’s ability to learn is shaped by the choices adults make, what gets funded, what gets repaired, what gets measured, and what gets treated as “non-negotiable.”
Girls’ education is hit hard by poor sanitation and a lack of menstrual support
For adolescent girls, sanitation is not just a health issue; it’s a dignity and attendance issue.
Where schools cannot provide private, safe toilets, water for washing, soap, and a way to dispose of menstrual waste, many girls manage periods under intense stress. Some stay at home. Some leave early. Some stop attending altogether.
It is also common in many settings for menstrual products to be unavailable or unaffordable. That leaves girls forced to improvise, which increases fear of leaks, teasing, and shame. The result can include repeated absences, falling behind, and a higher risk of dropping out.
Young women need practical support from authorities and school leaders so they can attend without embarrassment. That support is not complicated:
- toilets that lock and provide privacy,
- water and soap available every day,
- bins and safe disposal systems,
- menstrual products available through schools or community programmes,
- and clear rules that prevent bullying and stigma.
If education is a human right, then attending school during menstruation must be treated as normal, expected, and supported.
So, where does Aquatabs fit?
Safe drinking water is a basic requirement for any learning environment. When water is unsafe, children get sick more often, attendance suffers, and time is lost. In many areas, water may be available but not reliably safe, especially where it is collected, stored, transported, or where systems are damaged by flooding, drought, or conflict.
Aquatabs are used to disinfect water at the point of use, helping communities, schools, and emergency settings turn available water into safer drinking water when used correctly. It is not a complete WASH solution on its own; toilets, hygiene, and ongoing infrastructure still matter. But safe water treatment can be one practical step that improves daily school conditions and reduces preventable health risks.
What should “AI and Education” mean on the ground?
If the theme is about human agency, then priorities should be judged by whether they remove real-world barriers to learning.
That means:
- Put the basics first
Safe drinking water, functional toilets, and handwashing facilities are not “nice-to-haves.” They are the minimum standard for a school. - Treat period support as a standard school provision
Privacy, water, soap, disposal options, and access to menstrual products protect attendance and reduce stigma. - Use AI to support teachers – not to distract from missing essentials
AI can help where schools are stable enough to benefit from it. It should not become a headline that hides missing services. - Measure what matters
Attendance, completion, learning outcomes, and student well-being should sit alongside any digital targets.
A clear message for 24 January
AI will keep advancing, whether education systems are ready or not. The more urgent decision is whether we will fix the basics that decide who can learn at all. On International Day of Education, it’s worth stating plainly: a future with advanced learning tools is not enough if millions of children still face avoidable barriers such as unsafe water, poor sanitation, and lack of menstrual support. Human agency starts with practical choices that keep children in school, consistently, safely, and with dignity.
