Before the execution of the Girls’ Education Project, a joint initiative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DFID) and Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), female enrolment in schools in Bauchi State was on the decline. FRANK IKPEFAN, who recently visited the state, reports that the situation is fast changing for the better.
Public schools in some parts of Bauchi State are now recording increase in girl child enrolment. The increment was as a result of the intervention by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities (WASH).
According to Baure Primary School Head Teacher in Ganjuwa Local Government Area, Mohammed Adamu, before now, most female students stayed away from schools because of lack of water in their communities and schools.
Ramatu Hussaini, a 15-year-old student said most of them had to abandon their schools at a point because they spent most time in search of water.
Ramatu said the situation becomes more difficult during dry season when they trek some distance every day in search of water. This is because the wells that supply water are dried up.
“It was a routine for most families. Around April and May every year when the wells have dried up to rely on water vendors, who charge N30 for a 25-liter gallon of water.
“Although the water from the wells is often contaminated, we still managed to fetch from them for domestic uses because we had no other option. We cook with the water. We didn’t have any source of water apart from the well,” Ramatu said.
Ramatu’s story was corroborated by 12-year-old Nafisat Ibrahim, who explained that it was routine for her to walk the long distance in search of water every morning before going to school.
Nafisat said on the day she was lucky, she would be able to get water and still attend school. But, in most instances, she often missed going to school or often get to get to school late.
The fortune of these local communities in Bauchi State, however, changed for the better with the intervention of the UNICEF in 2018.
Adamu said the interventions by UNICEF/UK Department for International Development (DFID) and Bauchi State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), which resulted in the provision of water facilities in the communities, did not only improve the residents’ living condition, it has also affected school enrolment.
Adamu added that parents are now encouraged to send their children to school because of the intervention.
He said: “It encourages parents to send their children to school. Before this intervention, our school had low enrolment rate. Now it has increased since the project was implemented in 2018.
“Before this intervention for our school, we had low enrolment rate. We had 450 pupils only. We had 250 boys and 200 girls. But this time round, we now have 289 boys and 452 girls. In all, we have 941 pupils in this school.”
According to Ramatu, before this intervention, lack of access to water was a major challenge. We travel to far distance before we could get water. Sometimes I missed my classes, because I had to fetch water in the morning before going to school.
“Since this intervention by UNICEF, we no longer use water from the well. We appeal to UNICEF for more interventions such as this,” she said.
The extent of the intervention
About 401 hand pump boreholes have been provided under the Girls’ Education Project Phase 3 (GEP-3) in six local government areas. The GEP – 3 projects began in 2012 with funding support from UK (DFID).
The breakdown of the distribution of hand pump boreholes in the six focal LGAs are as follows: 73 in Alkaleri; 53 in Ganjuwa; 25 in Ningi; 85 in Shira; 97 in Toro and 68 in Zaki.
The project, it was learnt, was aimed at improving social and economic opportunities for girls in northern Nigeria, through increased enrolment, completion and learning of girls in basic education.
Why UNICEF/ DFID’s involvement in WASH?
UNICEF’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Officer, David Damian explained that the provision of WASH in schools is a vital input to making schools friendly for pupils and teachers.
Damian said these facilities help to enhance quality and improve retention and completion among pupils.
The UNICEF WASH officer noted that more than half of young girls, who drop out of school in Nigeria, do so due to lack of clean water supply.
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Damian said: “In Nigeria, more than half of the young girls who drop out of school do so due to lack of clean water supply, thus must travel miles to fetch water.
In addition, the schools do not have a basic functional toilet, putting the girls at risk of shame and even greater risk of sexual harassment, including rape.
“We believe each child; irrespective of her social status, has the right to be in a safe school environment with access to clean water, quality hygiene and sanitation practices.
“Construction of pit toilets in schools and providing access to clean water led to an increase in school enrolment rates, especially for girls.
There is, therefore, a clear correlation between WASH in schools and high enrolment rates of girls when compared to boys. Thus, there is an effective attempt in bridging the educational gender inequality gap.
“Access to WASH services in schools also protects girls’ rights to education as they are more likely to drop out of school when toilets and washing facilities are not disaggregated, not safe, not clean or simply not available.”
On what informed the choice of hand pump boreholes for the project, Damian explained that it was realised that they are low cost compared to other facilities and can easily be managed and sustained by the communities and the children themselves.
Why WASH facilities are vital in schools
The provision of WASH facilities in schools is a vital input that will make schools friendly for pupils and teachers. These facilities help to enhance quality and improve retention and completion among pupils.
Evidence showed that access to adequate WASH services in schools may contribute to improved education and health of children by reducing the number of days missed in schools due to menstrual periods, or providing more time for learning tasks.
The provision of adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools is crucial in ensuring the adoption and maintenance of safe sanitation and hygiene practices among school children.
Safe and adequate water supply and sanitation in schools are pre-requisites for the right to basic education for school children. It also has a link to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular Goal six on clean water and sanitation by 2030.
Most Nigerian schools without WASH facilities
According to findings, more than half of young girls, who drop out of school in Nigeria do so due to lack of clean water supply.
It is argued that the presence of WASH facilities in schools serve as an effective way of bridging the gap in education inequality that exists between girls and boys.
A WASH-in-School report, issued by United Nations in 2018, revealed that about 50 per cent of all schools in Nigeria do not have basic water supply, sanitation and toilet facilities.
According to the report, this implied that the brunt of challenge of poor access to water facilities is borne by people in the lowest economic ladder and those living in rural areas and semi-urban areas.
It warned that children’s education and health was at risk due to lack of decent WASH facilities in schools.
“As many as 50 per cent of schools in Sub-Saharan Africa are without access to water. Access to water, sanitation and hygiene at school is also a matter of gender equality.
“Girls are more likely to miss lessons or to drop out completely once they start menstruating if their school does not have a decent toilet where they can change menstrual cloths in dignity and privacy.
“In fact, one in 10 adolescent girls in Africa miss school during their menstruation and eventually drop out due to lack of gender-friendly toilet facilities,” the report said.
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