Adequacy in the provision of sanitary facilities and its effects On girls participation in education: the case of public Primary schools in 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. This study investigated the adequacy of sanitary facilities on girls’ participation in primary education in Nakuru Municipality. The study established the level adequacy of sanitary facilities for girls in primary education, identify the factors that contribute to the adequacy of sanitary facilities for girls in primary education, determine how the adequacy of sanitary facilities affects girls participation in primary education, and recommend strategies to improve the adequacy of sanitary facilities and girls participation in education in Nakuru Municipality, 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 for the study 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 researcher ensured the validity of the instrument by seeking expert opinion of the university supervisors. In developing the questionnaire items, the fixed choice and opened-ended formats of the items were used. The data collected was both qualitative and quantitative. Descriptive data analysis was used to analyse the data and Pearssons product moment correlation was used to test the stated null hypothesis. The study found out that although the primary schools in Nakuru municipality have a 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 ones are old or below the recommended and acceptable standards. From the findings, it was recommended that there is need to develop sanitation programs under which the challenge should be tackled right from the root rather than attempting to manage the resultant unpleasant consequences. School administrations also need to prioritize the aspect of sanitation and hygiene especially for girls. 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.