NAN-HG-1
Hygiene
Katsina, June 6,2017(NAN) Prof. Nkadi Onyegegbu, a lecture at the Department of Health Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, has urged governments to intensity efforts in providing materials that would assist schoolgirls to manage menstruation in hygienic way.
Onyegegbu made the call while addressing newsmen in Katsina as part of activities to mark the 2017 Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Day.
She said that the research conducted in some schools across the country showed that secondary schoolgirls faced some challenges in managing their menstruation effectively.
Onyegegbu said the research also indicated that though, 100 per cent of the schools had toilets, but only 25 per cent have hand wash basins and soaps.
She, however, said that non of the schools met the World Health Organisation (WHO) toilet-students ratio of 1:25 for girls and 1:50 for boys.
‘’Most of the toilets were dirty, with broken doors and poor ventilation.
‘’In all the schools we visited, we never find the ideal scenario, rather what we found is the harsh reality for menstruating schoolgirls,’’ she said.
She urged various state governments to construct enough toilets and provides sanitary materials for girls.
The Professor also urged the governments and other stakeholders to provide water to enhance environmental and personal hygiene in the schools.
She further urged teachers especially in co-education schools to educate girls on menstruation and menstrual hygiene because most of them don’t have prior knowledge about it.
She also urged the media to assist in educating the public on the negative attitudes toward menstruation and continue to promote girl-child education in the country.(NAN)
ZI/MTM/MTM
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Edited by Tukur Muntari.