Open Defecation Practices among Primary School Children in Almajiri Schools, Sokoto, Nigeria

Zainab Ahmad Bala; Abdulmudalib Abdullahi Lawal; Nabil Riskuwa Bello; Shehu S. Gobir; Syed Abdul Waheed; Zainab Ahmad Bala; Abdulmudalib Abdullahi Lawal; Nabil Riskuwa Bello; Shehu S. Gobir; Syed Abdul Waheed

doi:10.32665/jurmia.v6i2.7260

Authors

Zainab Ahmad Bala Shehu Shagari University of Education Sokoto
Abdulmudalib Abdullahi Lawal Federal University Birnin Kebbi
Nabil Riskuwa Bello Ministry of Health Sokoto State
Shehu S. Gobir Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic
Syed Abdul Waheed University of Okara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32665/jurmia.v6i2.7260

Keywords:

Almajiri schools, basic education, open defecation, primary school children, school sanitation

Abstract

Open defecation remains a serious health and basic education problem in northern Nigeria, particularly among children of primary school age who study in Almajiri schools and live on the premises without parental supervision. This study assessed the frequency of the practice, identified the reasons the children attribute it to, described the availability of toilets and sources of water at their schools, and examined what the pattern means for the schools themselves. A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted among 120 primary-school-age Almajiri children in Kware and Gwadanbawa Local Government Areas of Sokoto State, recruited on a non-probability basis with the consent of their guardians. Data were collected through interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaires reviewed by subject experts, and were analysed using frequencies and percentages. Open defecation was practised frequently or mostly by 70.0% of respondents. Facility-related reasons accounted for 91.6% of responses, while cultural preference accounted for 8.3%. Toilets were present at the schools of 65.8% of respondents, and wells supplied 75.8% of the schools. Reported coverage exceeds usable access, so sanitation provision at elementary schools requires maintenance arrangements and a reliable water supply alongside it.

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