Adequacy and utilisation of sanitation facilities in secondary schools in Mpigi District, Uganda

Abstract

Inadequate sanitation has been found to be a major problem in primary schools and now as UPE begins to offload pupils into the secondary school system, the same problem might begin to affect the secondary schools. This study therefore sets out to investigate the adequacy and utilisation of sanitation facilities in secondary schools in Mpigi District. Four objectives were considered in this study namely: • To find out the different kinds of sanitation facilities available in selected secondary schools in Mpigi district • To assess the adequacy of sanitation facilities in selected secondary schools in Mpigi district. • To assess the utilisation of sanitation facilities in selected secondary schools in Mpigi district • To examine students’ awareness of the consequences o f poor sanitation

The required information was gathered using four methods namely in-depth interviews, survey, focus group discussions and observation. Four categories of respondents were used including head teachers, teachers, health inspector and students. It was found that although the secondary schools in Mpigi District own variety of sanitation facilities, there is generally inadequate coverage of sanitation facilities in the schools in the District and this is particularly worse-off in rural based schools and the phenomenon is exacerbated by the ever increasing student population due to increase in enrolment for secondary education resulting from Universal Primary Education. Additionally, the available sanitation facilities are poorly utilized which is a result of many factors including students’ background and up bringing, discipline regarding personal hygiene and school and weakness in implementation of sanitation and hygiene policies.

The cleanliness of the available sanitation facilities is not at its best and this forms part of the reasons why some of the students ignore using the facilities and instead opt for use of bushes around the schools.

It was recommended that there is need to develop sanitation programs under which the challenge should be tackled right from the root rather than attempting to manage the resultant unpleasant consequences. School administrations need to prioritize the aspect of sanitation and hygiene.