I explore whether the absence of school sanitation infrastructure impedes educational attainment, particularly among pubescent-age girls, using a national Indian school latrine construction initiative and administrative school-level data. School latrine construction substantially increases enrollment of pubescent-age girls, though predominately when providing sex-specific latrines. Privacy and safety appear to matter sufficiently for pubescent-age girls that only sex-specific latrines reduce gender disparities. Any latrine substantially benefits younger girls and boys, who may be particularly vulnerable to sickness from uncontained waste. Academic test scores did not increase following latrine construction, however. Estimated increases in enrollment are similar across the substantial variation in Indian district characteristics. (JEL H75, H76, I21, I25, J16, O15, O53)

Using a case example of an innovative sanitation solution in a slum setting, this study explores the usefulness of the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique in a program planning and evaluation context. Using a qualitative image-based method to map people’s mental models of ill-structured problems such as sanitation can aid program planners and evaluators in understanding how a program can fit the reality of beneficiaries. The technique is a tool for investigating what beneficiaries think about specific problems a program is aimed at solving and their underlying beliefs. The results offer a comprehensive hierarchical value map of different types and levels of insights into parents’ thoughts and feelings about school sanitation and their child’s well-being, often expressed as desired values, goals, or end states. Based on the results, a discussion is provided about the usefulness of the technique in the given context.

Abstract Access to potable water supply, sanitation and hygiene education remains relatively low both in the urban and rural areas in developing countries. The main aim of the study was to get an overview of the condition of the water and sanitary facilities in schools and of hygiene education. The method of investigation involved systematic random sampling with the use of questionnaires and interviews with the students and teachers and onsite inspection of the sanitation facilities available within the schools. The results revealed that 24% of schools used W/C while 76% of schools used pit toilets, of which 88% were ordinary pit toilets and 12% VIP. The number of toilets within the schools ranged between 0 and 14 revealing a 185:1 student to toilet ratio within the study area, but ranged widely from 83:1 to 510:1 between schools. The study, however, revealed the absence of wash hand basins in 77% of the schools and no soap in 88% of the schools with wash hand basins. Investing in clean water, sanitation and hygiene education in these public schools should become a priority for governments in developing countries and School Sanitation and Hygiene Education program (SSHE) should be adopted and implemented across schools in Nigeria.

Despite an increasing focus on school-based water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions in less-developed countries, we lack an understanding of what combinations of conditions are sufficient for their continued maintenance post-implementation. We use a novel method, qualitative comparative analysis, to determine what pathways lead to well-maintained school toilets, as an indicator of continued maintenance of WASH services. Results from 15 case schools in Belize reveal five pathways to well-maintained school sanitation, and three pathways to poorly maintained services. Common conditions in the pathways to well-maintained toilets include local involvement upfront, quality construction, and the presence of a local champion; while conditions common in the pathways to poorly maintained toilets include the absence of the aforementioned conditions, in addition to vandalism and a lack of community support for maintenance. The familiarity of the technology is as common in the pathways to well-maintained toilets as poorly maintained toilets, suggesting that though technology choice is important, quality construction and social conditions may have a stronger influence on maintenance. Qualitative information is presented to support further discussion of the six conditions, including factors linked to their presence that may support improvements in Belize and have implications for school WASH services in other low-income settings.