A Survey of Sanitation and Hygiene Facilities in Public and Private Primary Schools for Effective Implementation of Ube Programme In Onitsha, Anambra State

This paper surveyed the availability of sanitation and hygiene facilities as well as the sanitation and hygiene practices among public and private primary schools in Onitsha, Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The population of the study comprised 97 and 71 public and private primary schools in the Area respectively. A sample of 48 primary schools consisting 27 public and 21 private was used. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used for sampling. A checklist was used to obtain data for question 1 while a researcher developed questionnaire adapted from Implementation Guidelines on National School Health Programme 2006 of the Federal Ministry of Education was used to gather data for research question two. The instrument was validated by three experts. Percentage score and statistical Mean score were used to answer research question one and two respectively. It was found that sanitation and hygiene facilities such as waste bins, water supply, toilet etc are lacking among public and private primary schools in Onitsha Area and that the primary schools are yet to embrace sanitation and hygiene practices hence pupils still defecate in the bush among others. It was recommended among others that Government, proprietors and teachers should take urgent steps to provide sanitation facilities to the schools and pupils should be taught rhymes, poems and plays that promote sanitation and hygiene.