A mass handwashing programme was organised by Everwin Matriculation School at suburban Kolathur on October 14, 2008 to create mass awareness and prevent contracting diseases like diarrhoea. About 400 students of Class X to XII participated in the function held at the Everwin Matriculation Higher Secondary School premises on the eve of World Handwashing day. The theme of this year's programme was "Little habit; Big benefits", School Principal B Purushothaman told mediapersons who flocked at the school campus on the occasion. Following the UNICEF's move, the Education Department in Tamil Nadu had asked all schools in the State to observe the day by organising programmes. During the programme, students were explained about the importance of making a habit of washing hands. Sharing the medical fraternity's concern that diseases like diarrhoea occurred due to unhygienic conditions and lack of awareness on handwashing, the students were told a number of diseases could be prevented if children washed hands before and after food and while using toilets. Students were also advised to use soaps for washing hands after using toilets to prevent the spread of germs. Some newspaper clippings were also read out to the 4,000-odd students of the school through the Public Address System and sample soaps distributed to them. The Higher Secondary students demonstrated to their juniors how to wash the hands to keep them clean and insisted on following this good habit. The function ended with the students taking a pledge that they would stick to the habit of hygienic handwashing and also to take the message to as many households as possible in their neighbourhood. School CEO V Mageswari, Principal B Purushothaman and Senior Vice Principal M. Kalaiarasi were present at the function. Mr Purushothaman said the school management would come out with 4,000 pamphlets on the importance of handwashing and it would be distributed to the parents of the students to mark the occasion tomorrow.