An assessment of toilet facilities in secondary schools in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State

Background: Toilet facilities among many other facilities ought to be present in schools to promote hygiene and meet the physical and emotional needs of staff and students. Objectives: The study assessed school ownership, availability and type of toilet facilities in secondary schools. Methodology: This was a school based observational study. An interviewer administered semi- structured questionnaire to selected staff and students in fifty-three secondary schools was used for data collection. Results: Day and boarding schools were 71.7% and 28.3% respectively; 75.5% privately owned. Forty five schools (84.9%) had toilet facilities, while 1/6th of the schools had none. Water carriage toilets (water squatting and water seat) comprised 20 (21.6%) while the non-water carriage accounted for 55 (59%). Twenty-nine (54.7%) provided toilets facilities for the different sexes while 24 (45.3%) did not. A non-statistically significant association (p = 0.034) was found between ownership of school and type of toilet facility provided. Conclusion: About 76% of schools were non-governmental of which 92.5% had toilet facilities. Half of the schools made separate provision for the different sexes. Recommendation: Schools should ensure the sustainability of good sanitary practices through the provision of toilet facilities in schools.