Dappa Maharajah
A Non Governmental Organisation in Ondo State, Girls to Women Research Centre (G2W), has raised an alarm over dearth of public toilets in the publicschools in the state, declaring that it is detrimental to the growth of the students.
The G2W Executive Director, Mrs Olamide Falana, lamented that the health implications would impact negatively on the Sustainable Development Goals to provide sanitation for all by 2030.
This was consequent upon a revelation yesterday at an event in Akure to mark the 2017 Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day, where students of the schools that participated said there was no toilet facilities in their schools.
A student, from Omoluorogbo Grammar School, Akure, lamented that the students currently have no place to dispose their wastes.
She, however, added that the only one that was available in the school, was for the teachers and staff but out of bound to the students.
Another student from a public school, Fiwasaye Girls Grammar School (FGGS), though there are four toilets in the school, she disclosed that she would have to rush down home and miss lectures.
The facilitators, Dr Mrs Aderonke Aderoba, the Coordinator, Adolescent Friendly Services and Dr. Mrs Toyin Adeyalo-Ogundare, the Deputy Director, Hospital Services, lectured the students on best practices for menstrual health and hygiene.
Falana, who said the event was to commemorate Menstrual Health and Hygiene Day, tasked stakeholders to intensify efforts to enable girls to stay in school through the provisions of condusive environment.
The G2W Director stated that the girls in the schools are the major victim of such social menace, affirming that it poised a lot of dangers to their health, welfare and social well-being.
She emphasized that government and care providers should ensure access to hygiene products, adequate toilets, water and disposal options, saying products must be made affordable to the girls.
The Director of Planning, Research and Strategy, Ondo State Waste Management Authority, Mr. Fola Omowole, alongside other stakeholders at the event, described it as some of the menace that people had been silent over in the past.
Omowole lauded the students for speaking up against the defect in their schools, which leads to high rate of open defecation in the country and soil the good image of the nation internationally.
They urged government and schools to provide adequate toilet facilities for the students in other to promote general health and hygiene culture in the society.
Wife of the state governor, Mrs Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, also commended the students and stakeholders for bringing the problems to the knowledge of the government.
Akeredolu, who was represented by her Special Assistant on Gender, Research and Documentation, Mrs Temitope Daniyan, assured that the state government would take proactive measures to solve the problem.
