Effects of menstruation on girls in primary schools in Kibera slums

Abstract

In the poor slums of Kibera, a normal physiological process has become the channel of bondage and oppression to girls of tender ages that hardly recognize what they are going through. This study examined the impact of sexual maturation on the education of the girl child specifically inquiring on school attendance and academic performance during their menses. The research also assessed the sanitation facilities available for the girl child in schools. The study used Piaget's periods of child development theory. Piaget describes development in terms of sequential changes on how children think. He proposes that children grow through three periods of development, each distinguished by a different way of thinking. According to Piaget, cognitive development through adolescence involves movement from concrete to abstract thinking and a decrease in egocentric thought. This concept was helpful in explaining development of adolescent and sexual maturation issues which shape stable identities in the process of becoming complete and productive adults. The major findings of the study were that girls who got their menses were embarrassed of the same and absented themselves from school during this period, which in turn affected their academic performance as compared to the boys. Hie study further reveals that parents as well as religious organizations do not play an active role in discussing their daughters' reproductive health and more so management of their menses but instead left the burden to teachers. The study recommends that reproductive health concerns be included as examinable subjects to enhance and generate quality discussions in both formal and informal class interactions, while at the same time the manufacture and provision of free sanitary towels should be put in place to make free primary education practically affordable to girls from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds.