Access to Improved Sanitation Facilities and Female School Attendance: A study of Savelugu Municipality of Ghana
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18533/journal.v8i1.1563Keywords:
Sanitation, Female School Attendance, Open Defecation, Savelugu Municipality, Ghana.Abstract
The study investigates the extent to which access to adequate and improved sanitation influence school attendance of female students in public senior high schools in the Savelugu municipality of Ghana. A cross sectional survey design using both qualitative and quantitative methods was used to collect data in Savelugu Senior High School and Pong-Tamale Senior High School, all in the Savelugu Municipality. A total of 345 female students and two headmasters and six assistant headmasters from the two senior high schools were interviewed. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The study established that the availability of improved and adequate sanitation facilities was significant in determining the extent of use, and school attendance of females in such schools. The study established that lack of privacy and insecurity caused by substandard sanitation facilities contributed to female student absenteeism. The study further revealed that the availability of improved sanitation facilities could account for 38.3% percent of the change in the level of sanitation use and its impact on female school attendance. We recommend that school management teams should ensure adequate provision of improved sanitation facilities in every public senior high school as part of efforts to improve female students school attendance.
References
Adukia, A. (2013). Sanitation and Education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Alhassan, A & Anyarayor B. K., (2018). Determinants of adoption of open defecation free (ODF) innovations: A case study of Nadowli-Kaleo district, Ghana. Journal of Development and Communication Studies, 5 (2), 54 – 69.
Anyarayor B. K., (2017). Dynamics of sustainable behavior change in sanitation practices in Nadowli/Kaleo district (Unpublished Thesis) Tamale, Ghana: University for Development Studies.
Asyago, B. (2005). An investigation into the challenges facing the Free Primary Education Management: The case of Machakos District. Kenya. Unpublished MEd Thesis, Nairobi: Kenyatta University.
Birdthistle, I., Dickson, K., Freeman, M., Javidi, L. 2011. What impact does the provision of separate toilets for girls at schools have on their primary and secondary school enrolment, attendance and completion? A systematic review of the evidence. London: UKAID
Duo, E. (2012). Women empowerment and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4): 1051-1079.
Freeman, M. C., Clasen, T., Brooker, S. J., Akoko, D. O., & Rheingans, R. (2013). The impact of a school-based hygiene, water quality and sanitation intervention on soil-transmitted helminth reinfection: a cluster randomized trial. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 89(5), 875 - 883
Hesse-Biber, S. N. (2010). Mixed methods research: Merging theory with practice. New York, NY: Guildford Press.
Kirk, J., Sommer, M. (2006). Menstruation and body awareness: linking girls’ health with girls’ education. Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Special on Gender and Health, pp. 1-22, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Available at: https://www.susana.org/en/knowledge-hub/resources-and-publications/library/details/1200 (accessed 12 September 2018).
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2005). Practical research: Planning and design (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
Malusu, L.N., Zani, A.P., (2014). An evaluation of the perception of secondary school students towards menstruation in Kenya. African Journal of Education and Technology 4 (1), 83–96.
Mason, L., Nyothach, E., Alexander, K., Odhiambo, F.O., Eleveld, A., Vulule, J., Rheingans, R., Laserson, K.F., Mohammed, A., Phillips-Howard, P.A., (2013). ‘We Keep It Secret So No One Should Know’– a qualitative study to explore young schoolgirls attitudes and experiences with menstruation in Rural Western Kenya. PLoS ONE 8 (11), 1–11.
Mason, L., Laserson, K., Oruko, K., Nyothach, E., Alexander, K., Odhiambo, F, & Phillips-Howard, P. (2015). Adolescent schoolgirls’ experiences of menstrual cups and pads in rural western Kenya: a qualitative study. Waterlines, 34(1), 15-30.
Melik, J., (2011). Poor sanitation stifles economic growth. BBC News Online 18 November 2011 Edition <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15552967> (accessed 12 September 2018).
Mensch, B.S., Lloyd, C.B., (1998). Gender differences in the schooling experiences of adolescents in low-income countries: the case of Kenya. Studies in Family Planning 29 (2), 167–184.
Mills, Joanna Esteves & Cumming, Oliver (2016) The impact of water, sanitation and hygiene on key health and social outcomes: Review of evidence. London: UKAID/UNICEF
Mugenda, O.M. and Mugenda, A.G. (2003). Research methods; Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Nairobi: African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) Press.
Mugo, E .W (2006). Strategies Adopted by Primary Schools Head teachers in Managing Free Primary Education in Embu District Kenya: Unpublished Med Thesis, Nairobi: Kenyatta University.
Muito, M., (2004). Gender equality in the classroom: reflections on practice. Paper presented at the Beyond Access: Gender, education and development project seminar on pedagogic strategies for gender equality and quality education in basic schools 2004. http://www.ioe.ac.uk/schools/efps/GenderEducDev/Muito%20paper.pdf (accessed 12 May 2017).
Mutunga, P., Stewart, J., (2003). Life Skills, Sexual Maturation and Sanitation: What’s (Not) Happening in Our Schools? An Exploratory Study from Kenya. Harare: University of Zimbabwe Women’s Law Centre.
Scott, L., Dopson, S., Montgomery, P., Dolan, C., Ryus, C., (2009). Impact of Providing Sanitary Pads to Poor Girls in Africa. Working Paper. SAID Business School, University of Oxford.
Siwolo, I. A. (2004). The Financial Challenges Facing the Management of Primary Schools after the Introduction of F.P.E: A case of Wetlands Division, Nairobi. Kenya; Unpublished MEd Thesis. Nairobi: Kenyatta University.
Sommer, M (2011) Integrating menstrual hygiene management (MHM) into the school water, sanitation and hygiene agenda. In: Shaw, R.J. (ed). The future of water, sanitation and hygiene in low-income countries - Innovation, adaptation and engagement in a changing world: Proceedings of the 35th WEDC International Conference, Loughborough, UK, 6-8 July 2011,
Sommer, M., (2010). The Puberty (Kubalehe) Book, 2010 (accessed 25 December 2017).
Sweetman Caroline & Medland, Louise (2017) Introduction: gender and water, sanitation and hygiene, Gender & Development, 25:2, 153-166, DOI:10.1080/13552074.2017.1349867
WaterAid’s (2017). Out of Order: The State of the World’s Toilet. London, UK: WaterAid available at: https://www.wateraid.org/uk/publications/out-of-order-the-state-of-the-worlds-toilets-2017 (accessed 2 January 2018)
Willmott M, Nicholson A, Busse H, et al. (2016) Effectiveness of hand hygiene interventions in reducing illness absence among children in educational settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis Arch Dis Child 2016; 101:42 – 50.
UN (2017). Sustainable Development Goal. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals (accessed 14 February 2018)
UNICEF, (2008). Girls; Education Campaigns. http://www.unicef.org/education/campaign.html (accessed 14 February 2018).
UNICEF/WHO (2017) Joint monitoring programme report. Available at: http://www.unwater.org/new-publication-whounicef-joint-monitoring-programme-2017-report/ (accessed 24 November 2018)
USAID (2018). Water and Development Strategy. https://www.usaid.gov/sites/default/files/documents/1865/USAID_Water_Strategy_3.pdf (Accessed 20 May 2018
World Bank, (2011). World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development. <http://wdronline.worldbank.org/> (accessed 5 July.2018).
Ziem, Joseph (2015) “Of education in the Northern Region and its sinking quality” https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Of-Education-In-The-Northern-Region-And-Its-Sinking-Quality-348605 (accessed on 20 December 2018)
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
