Peer-reviewed article
A review of the drivers and barriers influencing the impact of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene on attendance and retention of pupils in primary schools in developing countries.
Adekunle E, Ottoh F, Osimen G, Akinola A ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This literature review examines how water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services affect school attendance and retention in developing countries. The study identifies nine key drivers that improve WASH impact, such as water availability, sanitation access, and community involvement, and eleven barriers that limit it, including poor infrastructure, lack of menstrual hygiene facilities, and weak policy support. The review emphasizes that addressing WASH challenges requires collaboration between governments, civil society, and the private sector to support children's education and health.
Key points
- Key drivers of WASH impact include water availability, sanitation access, health improvements, menstrual hygiene management support, and community involvement
- Major barriers include inadequate infrastructure, poor facility maintenance, lack of menstrual hygiene facilities, cultural norms, and financial constraints
- Menstrual hygiene management support is identified as both a critical driver and a significant barrier to girls' school attendance
- Socio-economic context influences WASH impact on both attendance and retention
- Effective implementation requires multi-stakeholder collaboration including governments, civil society, private sectors, and research institutions
Limitations
This is a narrative literature review without primary data collection, so it synthesizes existing research rather than presenting new evidence. The review does not specify which developing countries are covered or provide quantitative measures of WASH's impact on school attendance and retention rates.
Abstract
Drivers and barriers influencing the impact of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) on attendance and retention of pupils in schools in developing countries were examined in this study. A Narrative review was adopted for this study which involved a Literature search of literature published between 2015 and 2025. The study identified Water Availability, Sanitation access, Hygiene Practices, Health improvements, Community involvement, Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Support, Policy and funding support, Behavior change and Socio-economic context as the drivers of the impact of WASH on attendance and retention of pupils in primary schools in developing countries. Also, Inadequate Infrastructure, Poor design of infrastructure, Poor Maintenance of facilities, Overcrowding, Lack of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Facilities, Cultural and Social Norms, Low awareness and Poor Hygiene Behavior, Financial Constraints, Weak Institutional and Policy Support, Environmental Challenges, Household Responsibilities and socio-economic factors and Poor monitoring and evaluation were identified as barriers of the impact of WASH on attendance and retention of pupils in primary schools in developing countries. The study recommends that the collaboration of governments, civil societies, private sectors, and research institutions is crucial as far as dealing with political, economic, and other underlying factors of WASH policies in primary schools in developing countries. This study will provide empirical data for researchers and policy makers towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 4.