Human Rights to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) is a prerequisite for the realization of other human rights. As one of human rights the non-fulfillment of HRWS have a negative effect on the right to education which is guaranteed under article 13 of International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and article 17of African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) and article 41(4) of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia constitution. ‘As an empowerment right, education is the primary vehicle by which economically and socially marginalized adults and children can lift themselves out of poverty and obtain the means to participate fully in their communities’. Despite this protection lack of appropriate supply of water forces children’s who share the significant burden of fetching water to walk long distances to reach water points which will lead to missing school. Students who miss school continuously miss so many lessons and finally they drop out. These become a great challenge for the applicability of right to education in rural parts of developing countries.
In the rural part of developing countries, girl child prohibited their right to education as they are sent to fetch water that takes half of their day. Moreover, the schools do not have water facilities that cause inconvenience to attend especially for girls during menstruation. For instance, primary schools that have water facilities are only 34.4% in Ethiopia. As a result, water and sanitation became one of the reasons that cause large gender gap in school attendance in many developing counties.
It is less contentious than the HRWS is a right that will lead to the protection, respecting and fulfillment of other human rights so, recognizing HRWS will lead to the protection of most of the human rights recognized in the international, regional and domestic human right instruments including the right to education. Therefore, concerned bodies should give due regard for the construction of water facilities and services in the areas where water points are fare from villages and schools that will have an impact to increase enrolment rate and decrease dropouts.