Operation and sustainability of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in schools: Evidence from a vulnerable and deprived area in Ghana

Abstract

Abstract: Safe and adequate water supply and sanitation in schools are pre-requisites for the right to basic education for school children and the achievement of goal 4 and 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Nonetheless, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in schools is fraught with inadequacy of toilet and handwashing facilities, and poor sustainability mechanisms that threaten its success. This paper, therefore, assesses the operation and sustainability of WASH in schools in the Nabdam District of Ghana. Adopting a qualitative approach, thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were held to capture the understanding and experiences of students, head teachers, health officers, officials of the Ghana Health Service and District Education Directorate on the phenomena. Fifteen focus group discussions were further held with students in the basic schools. The findings indicate that WASH is poorly managed even though the schools studied had some established WASH facilities. WASH in the schools was bedeviled with challenges such as inadequate toilets and handwashing facilities, poor funding and ineffective WASH committees. The WASH committees lacked the capacity to raise funds and carry out their duties in accordance with the WASH implementation guidelines. The study recommends that the Ghana Education Service organizes periodic capacity building programs for WASH committees to address this shortcoming. The Ministry of Education should support basic schools in districts in their efforts to provide WASH facilities and fund WASH activities. The study also calls for the formation of student WASH clubs and sanitation brigades to promote the operation and sustainability of WASH in schools.

Keywords:

• Water
• Sanitation and Hygiene
• WASH in schools
• basic schools
• Ghana
• sustainability of WASH

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge our study participants for providing the study data and the authors and publishers whose works were consulted.

Availability of data and material

Data analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Data and material availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethics approval and consent to participate

The Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology gave the approval to conduct the study. Informed written and verbal consents were obtained from the study participants before data were collected. Respondents were also assured of strict confidentiality and anonymity of the data provided.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Notes on contributors

Anthony Acquah Mensah

Anthony Acquah Mensah holds an MPhil in Planning from the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. His research interests cover Land Governance, Smart Cities, Urban Planning and Health Systems.

Dina Adei

Dina Adei is an Associate Professor at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. Her research interest covers areas such as Health Services Planning, Occupational Health and Safety, Macroeconomic Policy and Planning, and Human-Environment Interactions.

Godfrey Kuubagr

Godfrey Kuubagr holds a Master of Science in Development Studies from the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. His research interests cover Environmental Health, Public Health and Health Planning.

Samuel Ofori Duah

Samuel Ofori Duah holds a Master of Arts in Sustainability Studies from Trent University, Ontario, Canada. His research interests cover Education Planning, Health Services Planning and Waste Management.

Michael Osei Asibey

Michael Osei Asibey Asibey is Lecturer at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana. His research interest covers areas such as Urban Studies and Climate Change and Environmental Management.