WASH in Schools: Ogun state, Nigeria

WASH field report

By Dr Babatope Babalobi and Racheal Ogundipe

A team from eWASH visited some primary schools in Ogun State on March 7, 2023 to access the status of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities. In all the schools visited, eWASH held a one and one meeting with the Schools management to discuss their WASH challenges, interviewed the students to determine their WASH knowledge, attitude, and practices, and we observed the status, type, functionality, and usage of the WASH facilities in the  School.

We prepared an interview guide, used to ask questions from staff and students of the school. The typical questions are:

1. What are the sources of drinking water in your school?
2. Have you or anyone you know in this school ever suffered from waterborne illnesses such as diarrhoea or cholera? What do you think caused it?
3. Is there a toilet in the School? Is is separated for males and females?
4. Do you use the school toilet always? If not, why?
5. Is water always available in the toilet for use? Is the toilet clean? Who is responsible for its cleanness?
6. Are there handwashing facilities in the toilet? Soap and Water? Are they always available? Do you always WASH your hands with soap and water?
7. When you are on your period, how do you change? Does the school provide all you need to change whenever you want (such as water, access to sanitary pads, waste bins, private space, etc.)
8. What are your water, sanitation, and hygiene challenges as a student?

One of such schools visited African Church Central School Onibuku-Ota, in Ado Odo Local Government, Ogun State, where we were received by the Headmistress – Mrs Odunsanya and one of the School teachers- Mrs Opakunle Basirat Temitope.

 

Our findings are summarised below:

• The school has a population of about 400 students.
• It two types of  pour flush toilet: one with a plastic superstructure for use of Teachers, and the other with a mortal and brick superstructure for use of students.
• The students toilet was donated by T.Y. Danjuma foundation, a non governmental organisation.
• The students’ toilet has two cubicles, one for male and female, though they are placed adjacent to each other, raising issue of privacy. Also the male and female toilet are not labelled.
• The toilets are generally clean, and we learnt they are washed daily by the students.
• Apart from privacy, the toilet does not have dustbins and students have to walk several metres to dispose of waste.
• The female toilet has no provision of waste-bin for disposal of used sanitary pads.
• The students have access to soap for handwashing, though not placed in the toilets. When asked why they were not placed inside the toilet, the teacher said the soap may be wasted by the students: “We do not want to put soap on the toilet premises because we don’t want the students misusing them or wasting them”
• The School sources water from a borehole, and this is rerticulated into an overhead tank. The quality of the water could not be determined.
• The teachers complained of potential damage to the septic tank by vehicular movement, as the school was not fenced. They called on government authorities or public spirited individuals to assist in fencing the school.
• The schools management complained the Parents and Community associations were not able to come to their aid in School WASH financing because of general household poverty.

Recommendations

1. The Parents Teachers Associations should be mobilised to assist in financing the maintenance of sanitation facilities in Schools.
2. Schools toilets should be properly marked according to genders, and should be separated by some physical distances.
3. Menstrual Hygiene Management should be  discussed in schools to increase students awareness, and hygiene bins should be placed in Schools toilets.
4. Schools toilets facilities should be fenced to prevent damage to its infrastructure.