Assessment of Sanitation Practices in Upper Primary Schools in Makindye East Division, Kampala District.

Abstract

Background: School children are the single greatest readily available in providing the ideal opportunity for achieving a brighter healthy future. Children between the ages of five to seventeen years are school children. An estimated 1.9 billion school days could be gained if the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related to safe water supply and sanitation are achieved and the incidence of diarrheal illness is reduced. They are exposed to various environmental factors within the school. Each child interacts differently to these factors depending upon his/ her biological factors, socio-cultural and economic background etc and may develop some health problem which may impede health and learning activities. Objectives: To assess the sanitation practices among upper primary pupils in the selected primary schools in Makindye division, Kampala district. Methodology: This study was conducted using a descriptive and cross sectional study designed which used a total of 291 respondents who were purposively selected using structured self administered questionnaire. Results: The study used 291 as respondents for questionnaires. This included sixteen (16) Head prefects (boys & girls), 2 from each of the eight selected schools; 73 school prefects and 202 pupils from primary six and seven from the eight selected schools as respondents for the survey questionnaire making a total of 291 respondents. This shows that 71(24.3%) of the respondents were between 10-11 years of age, while 103(35.5%) of the respondents were between 11-13 years of age, 66(23%) were between the ages of 13-14, and only 51(17.5%) were above 14 years. The majority of the respondents were between the ages of 12-14 implying that these are basically upper primary school pupils mostly in primary six and seven who were selected as respondents for this study based on their long stay at the school thus are aware of the sanitation issues of their respective schools. Conclusion: There is fair availability of different kinds of sanitation facilities especially in the selected primary schools. However, there is inadequate availability of the related materials such as anal cleansing tissues and particularly for the pupils. Recommendation: There is need to develop sanitation programs under which the challenges should be tackled right from the root rather than attempting to manage the resultant unpleasant consequences. There is need to train teachers with suitable sanitation and hygiene strategies while they are still at University or Teachers Training College. This will ensure that by the time they come out, they are already acquainted with sanitation and hygiene issues, strategies for their promotion and the roles they have to play.