The Level of Adequacy of Sanitary Facilities for Girls in Primary Schools of Nakuru Municipality, Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

The adequacy of sanitary facilities is a critical issue in a girl’s life. Studies have shown that most aspects of a girl’s life are affected by lack of sanitary facilities thus lowering the girl’s esteem and confidence. The study sought to establish the level of adequacy of sanitary facilities for girls in primary education in Nakuru Municipality in Nakuru County, Kenya. A descriptive survey design was used as the preferred research design. The study targeted the 59 public primary schools in Nakuru Municipality comprising of 1100 girls, 59 Head teachers and 271 female teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select the 18 Schools and purposive sampling to get a sample size of 428 respondents comprising of 330 girls and 80 female Teachers. The Main research instruments used in this study were questionnaires, interview schedules and an observation check list. Piloting was done in two schools which were not included in the sample. The findings would be useful in establishing the level of adequacy of sanitary facilities. The study found out that although the primary schools in Nakuru municipality own variety of sanitation facilities they are highly inadequate and greatly affect girls’ participation in education. Most of the schools cannot cater for the high number of pupils and the few available are old or below the recommended and acceptable standards. School administrations need to prioritize the aspect of sanitation and hygiene. Proper legislation by the government officers and introduction of penalties to defaulters is vital. Offering incentives and rewards to pupils, teachers and head teachers for keeping good sanitation will also help in maintaining high standard of adequacy, in addition to building new and modern sanitary facilities.