Effect of Sanitation Facilities on Quality of Education Under Crowded Universal Primary Education Conditions
The policy thrust in the Education and Training Policy (ETP) in Tanzania (1995) emphasizes two relevant parameters. First, the Tanzania Government is committed to qualitative improvement of education across the board. This means that the quality of primary education can be improved dramatically, if among other inputs, the school infrastructure provides a conducive learning environment. Secondly, the government is committed to expanded net enrolment at primary school level, moving from 56.7 % in 2001 to 85% in 2006. It is these two policy thrusts that were supposed to be translated into physical facilities, taking into consideration government commitment to equitable provision of education facilities and services.
Quality of education is primarily about pupil learning, as shown by achievement levels. The quality concerns for Universal Primary Education by 2005 in the Education For All targets in the World Conference on Education (1990) and in the Millennium Development Goals-UN Agenda 21 (2000), were the only major justification for primary schooling. An important aspect of quality education is the quality of experience that learners have when enrolled in school. Partly, this is a matter of physical environment in terms of buildings-- classrooms and toilets, furniture and equipment. It also depends on school organization-- class sizes, nature of curriculum, the manner in which the curriculum is delivered, time-tabling and relationships between pupils and teachers-- that is the degree of personal care and professional concern as exercised by teachers towards pupils. In general, quality education requires classroom attendance in lessons by both teachers and pupils, attainment in equity and gender parity, achievement in content -- mastery and excelling performance. Availability of sufficient water and sanitation facilities are necessary conditions for creating a pupil-friendly environment for physical and psychological presence in lessons.
The Schools Profiles Exercise conducted in Kinondoni Municipality and Morogoro Rural District among 82 primary schools through Support To Education in Primary Schools (STEPS) Project, under the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF), revealed wide ranges of toilet-pupil ratios from 1:14 to 1:250
This paper reports on a study conducted to check on the impact of availability of toilets on attendance, truancy and psychological presence in lessons by pupils. Observation schedules and video shootings of lessons were conducted in selected STEPS supported primary schools with toilet-pupil ratios between 1:14 and 1:250 at various times of the school day. Findings revealed high levels of absenteeism and inattentiveness in lessons in those schools with toilet-pupil ratios above 1:30. Girl pupils in Primary 5 -7 were most affected by lack of adequate water and toilet facilities and recorded the highest cases of absenteeism.
The study recommends provision of adequate water and toilet facilities not only as a health regulatory requirement but also as a measure towards creating a learner-friendly environment for quality education. The lesson and moral question is: Should schools that do not meet the 1:20 and 1:25 for girls and boys respectively close down? To what extent should the WHO/UNESCO/MoEC standards be adhered to?