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

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.