Uganda pinned on clean schools
Post date: Feb 09, 2015 6:30:23 AM
While government of Uganda has made efforts to provide water and sanitation facilities for its people including schools, there are still gaps in the allocation of resources for sanitation in schools, study findings undertaken by Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) reveals.
The study tracking budgets for Water, Hygiene, And Sanitation (WASH) in ten primary schools randomly picked in Pallisa and Kibuku districts in eastern Uganda says government has invested in infrastructure such as borehole construction and maintenance.
However, it goes on to says that low funding for WASH in schools, fewer toilets for the growing population, limited access to water sources, limited facilities for girls especially to support menstrual hygiene and few facilities for disabled children are some of the areas that need to be addressed.
The study further elaborates that current sanitation investment in Uganda is lower than what is required to realize health and welfare benefits. For schools, the investments and practice are far below the national standards and therefore there is need to seriously address the shortfalls.
The report also indicated that poor sanitation contributes to school dropout and low literacy rates, especially among girls.
Presenting the study findings David Walakira, the Budget Policy Specialist at CSBAG, revealed that as of June 2014, the percentage coverage of hand-washing facilities in schools was 38% against a target of 45%, and a pupil to latrine stance ratio of 70-1, against a target of 40-1