Influence of Availability of Sanitary Facilities on the Participation of the Girl-Child in Public Primary Schools in Garissa County, Kenya

Eunice Kagendo Njue,George M Muthaa

doi:10.4236/jss.2015.38018

Abstract

Every child has the right to quality education and good health care. The government of Kenya introduced Free Primary Education to ensure all school aged children acquire basic education. Despite this government investment, the participation of girls in primary school education has been low. This study aimed at assessing the influence of sanitation on participation of the girl-child in public primary schools in Garissa County, Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The targeted population was made up of girls and teachers in public primary schools. A sample size of 704 respondents comprising of 640 class seven girls, 32 head teachers and 32 class seven class teachers was sampled. Questionnaires, observation schedules and interview schedules were used for data collection. Validity of the research instrument was ascertained through experts in research of Chuka University. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis aided by the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. The results were presented in tables and figures. Most schools did not have adequate toilets and did not provide adequate sanitary pads. The schools did not have hand washing points and tissue papers. The study revealed that availability of sanitary pads, washing water points/soap and toilets influenced enrolment, concentration, self-confidence, attendance and performance of girls in education. The study recommends development of clear policies on provision of sanitation facilities and increases the number of sanitary pads supplied per girl. The government should set aside adequate budgetary allocation to provide school with sanitary facilities.

Highlights

The education of girls, which is restricted in some countries, yields benefits that extend beyond themselves to their communities and to the society at large [1]
The objective of this study was to determine the influence of availability of sanitary facilities on the participation of the girl-child in public primary schools in Garissa County, Kenya
The findings show that toilets and sanitary pads were available in all the schools in Garissa County, while washing water points and soap and tissue papers were not available in most of the schools

Summary

Introduction

The education of girls, which is restricted in some countries, yields benefits that extend beyond themselves to their communities and to the society at large [1]. A woman with six or more years of education is more likely to seek prenatal care, assisted childbirth, and postnatal care, reducing the risk of maternal, child mortality and illness [2]. Educated mothers are 50% more likely to immunize their children than mothers with no schooling [1]. The majority of farmers in the developing world are women; greater female education leads to more productive farming and accounts for over 40% of the decline in malnutrition achieved since 1970 [1]. Increasing participation of girls in education plays a critical role in promotion of socio-economic welfare of the nation. This gave impetus to the current study

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion