SCHOOL SANITATION, HYGIENE AND THE COPING STRATEGIES AMONG GIRLS IN THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE WA MUNICIPALITY, GHANA

Abstract

The study focussed on sanitation, hygiene and retention of girls in Junior High Schools (JHS) in the Wa Municipality. This study sought to find out the causes of the state of school sanitation and hygiene, the coping strategies and the social consequences on girl child education in the Wa Municipality in Ghana. Both probability and non-probability sampling methods were used to select a sample size of 290 respondents from the various stakeholders of the study. Data collection tools such as interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions were used to collect data for the study. Field visits and observation as techniques were also used in data collection. The study revealed the following. First, the study revealed the poor state of school sanitation and hygiene facilities and its causes in the JHS in the Municipality. Secondly, girls devised multiple coping strategies for dealing with the poor state of sanitation and hygiene facilities in schools. These included staying away from school completely, absconding from school, resorting to open defecation and lastly making use of the limited facilities in school. Finally, the poor state of school sanitation and hygiene led to absenteeism and poor performance in school among girls. Hence, poor sanitation and hygiene adversely affected girl child education, In line with the findings, an integrated approach to improving sanitation and hygiene facilities that caters for the differential needs of girls and boys (toilets, urinals, hand washing facilities, changing rooms etc.) is recommended to the government, the Municipal Assembly, Non – governmental Organisations and communities. Also it is recommended that hygiene lessons be integrated into school curricular for the effective teaching and learning of best sanitation and hygiene in schools.