School Facility Observations
This purpose of this survey is to help researchers understand the physical environment within which students interact, and assess the quality and quantity of MHM and WASH facilities. It has been reformatted
in order to gather detailed data about specific, individual toilet facilities. This survey can be used to help triangulate research findings, and support the experiences that research participants convey. Please be
aware that researchers will need legal paper to print the surveys.
A01. Research Assistant name:
A02. Date (dd/mm/yy):___/___/___
A03. Start time ____:____am/pm
A04. End time ___:___am/pm
Basic School Information
A1. School Name:
A2. School Identification code:
*A1.1 Do students wear uniforms? ☐ 1: Yes ☐ 2: No
*A1.2 If yes, Please describe the type and colour of uniforms girls wear:
B. Water observations
This section will help researchers explore the types of water sources a school has and assess students’ ability to access drinking water. Be sure to amend this list so that it is relevant for your setting. You may
need to add other types of water sources or eliminate those that are not applicable. Questions B2-B7 are most useful for wider WASH analyses, so if you do not plan to do a wider WASH analysis, you may
choose to eliminate those questions.
*B1.1 What is the main water source at the school currently?
☐1: Piped water into school building
☐2: Piped water into schoolyard/ plot
☐3: Public tap/ standpipe
☐4: Tube well / borehole
☐5: Protected dug well
☐6: Unprotected dug well
☐7: Protected spring
☐8: Unprotected spring
☐9: Rainwater collection
☐10: Bottled water
☐11: Cart with small tank/ drum
☐12: Tanker truck
B1.2 Is the main water source functional now?
☐1: Yes ☐2: No ☐99: Don’t know (no water source at school to verify)
*B2. Are there drinking-water storage containers?
☐1: Yes ☐2: No
*B3. If there are drinking-water storage containers, is there water in the containers?
☐1: Yes ☐2: No
*B4. If there are drinking-water storage containers, are drinking-water storage containers properly covered?
☐1: Yes ☐2: No ☐98: Not applicable (no water storage containers)
*B5. If there are drinking-water storage containers, are they functional (taps work, no leaks, etc.)?
☐1: Yes ☐2: No
B6. Are drinking-water facilities accessible to children with physical disabilities?
☐1: All ☐2: Some ☐3: None ☐98: Not applicable (no water storage containers)
☐13: Surface water
☐14: Students bring water to school from their homes
☐15: No water available in/near school
☐ 88: Other________________________
B7. Can the youngest children in the school get drinking water by themselves?
☐1: Yes ☐2: No ☐98: Not applicable (no water storage containers)
C. Sanitation observations
This portion of the survey is meant to give researchers information about the functionality of individual toilets at the school. By gathering this information, you will have a clearer picture of
whether or not any given toilet will meet the menstrual hygiene management needs of a student, and determine whether facilities are truly accessible to students. It is important that you visit
each toilet compartment and fill in the following table. Definitions are provided below to assist you in completing the table. Be sure to print extra copies of the table in the event that your
school has more than 16 toilets.
NOTE: You may need a teacher or student to help you identify how toilets are designated.
C01. Are there toilets/latrines at the school?
☐1: Yes
☐2: No SKIP to C12
Definitions:
Toilet compartment- an individual stall/seat/open pit/squat plate where a single child can defecate in private (not urinals).
Functionality
1. Functional – toilet facilities are not physically broken and can be used.
2. Partially functional – toilets can be used, but there are at least some problems with the physical infrastructure (e.g., deterioration in concrete, loose doors, locks, deteriorating roof) and some repair is
necessary.
3. Not functional – toilets exist, but are so badly damaged or deteriorated it is no longer reasonably possible to use them (squat plate broken, door missing, etc.)
4. Don’t know-Unable to assess because locked from the outside
Cleanliness
1. Clean – toilet compartments are not smelly; there are no visible faeces in or around facility, no flies, no litter.
2. Somewhat clean – there is some smell and/or some sign of faecal matter/urine and/or some flies and/or litter.
3. Not clean – there is a strong smell and/or presence of faecal matter and/or urine and/or significant fly problem and/or large amount of litter.
4. Don’t know-Unable to assess because locked from the outside
Light
1. Light – vision is essentially the same on the inside as it is on the outside.
2. Somewhat dark – there is less visibility on the inside, but it is still possible to see clearly. Girls would be able to look at their uniforms and tell if there is a stain.
3. Dark – toilets and latrines are very dark on the inside. It is really hard to see. It would be difficult for girls to look at their uniforms and tell if there is a stain.
4. Locked- Locked from the outside
Toilet
#
C1. Toilet Type
1: Flush/ pour flush
2: Pit latrine with slab
3: Pit latrine w/o slab / Open pit
4: Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP)
5: Composting/ EcoSan toilet
6: Bucket
7: Hanging toilet/ latrine
88: Other:
___________________
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
C2. User
1: For girls ONLY
2: For boys ONLY
3: For boys or girls
4: For female teachers or
staff ONLY
5: For male teachers or
staff ONLY
6: For female or male
teachers or staff (not
students)
7: For use by anyone in the
school (students/ teachers,
male/female)
99: Don’t know
C3.
Functionality
C4.
Cleanliness
C5.
Lighting
*C6.
Locks Inside
1: Functional
1: Clean
1: Light
1: Yes,
functional
2: Partially
Functional
2: Somewhat
Clean
2: Somewhat
Light
3: Not
Functional
3: Not Clean
99: Don’t Know
99: Don’t Know
2: Yes, not
functional
*C7.
Outside
Locks
1: Yes,
functional
*C8. Can
student access
the toilet
without
assistance?
1: Yes
3. No
2. Yes, not
functional
2: No
99: Don’t Know
3. No.
3: Don’t know
3: Dark
99: Don’t Know
99: Don’t
know
C9.
Dustbin
inside?
*C10.
Anal
Cleansing
materials
1: Yes
1: Yes
2: No
2: No
99: Don’t
Know
99: Don’t
Know
C11.
Access for
Disabled
1: Yes
2: No
99: Don’t
Know
Notes
16
Use an additional sheet and change numbers in more than 16 toilets/latrines at the school.
C12. How many urinals are there?
☐1: For Boys_______________________
☐2: For Male teachers_______________
☐3: For Girls_______________________
☐4: For Female teachers _____________
☐98: Not applicable (no individual urinals)
C13. If there are continuous urinal walls/gutters, what is the total length (meters)?
☐1: Boys_______________________ m
☐2: Male teachers_______________ m
☐3: Girls_______________________ m
☐4: Female teachers ____________ m
☐98: Not applicable (no continuous urinals)
D. Waste disposal and drainage observations
This section about disposal is pertinent to MHM because the ability to dispose of menstrual waste products easily and discretely is integral to a girls comfort when using a schools’ toilet facilities. Be sure to take
note of where you find menstrual waste products. If you do not find any evidence of menstrual waste products, this may be something you address in our focus group discussions or key informant interviews.
D1.1 At the time of the visit, are the waste pits/composting chambers/septic tanks obviously too full or overflowing?
☐ 1: Yes, in all facilities visited
☐ 2: Yes, in more than 50% of the facilities visited
☐ 3: Yes, but only in 50% or fewer of the facilities visited
☐ 4: No in none of the facilities visited
☐ 5: Unable to observe
*D1.2 At the time of the visit, did you see a pit for burning used sanitary towels?
☐ 1: Yes ☐ 2: No
*D1.3 At the time of the visit, did you see an incinerator for burning used sanitary towels?
☐ 1: Yes ☐ 2: No
D2. Does the school have a drainage system for removing wastewater from the school grounds?
(You may have to verify with teacher. Drainage should include provision for removing storm water, ‘grey water’ from hand-washing stations, etc.)
☐ 1: Yes ☐ 2: No SKIP to Section E ☐ 3: Yes, but only a partial or incomplete system
D3. If yes, is the drainage system functional at the time of the visit?
☐ 1: Yes ☐ 2: No SKIP to Section E ☐ 3: Partially
E. Hygiene observations
This portion of the survey is about hand-washing facilities. Question E7 may not be useful outside of a larger WASH analysis, so researchers may choose to eliminate that question. Please amend these questions
to make them most relevant for the facilities you will observe in your research setting, and visit all hand-washing facilities in the school. Be sure to print extra copies of the table in the event that your
school has more than 10 hand-washing stations.
E1. Does the school have hand-washing facilities? ☐ 1: Yes ☐ 2: No END Observations
Handwashing
Station
#
E2. Hand-washing facility type
1: Running water form a piped
system to a tank (faucet &
sink/standpost/ rainwater tank &
faucet/Bucket & spigot)
2: Hand-poured water system (e.g.
bucket or ladle)
1
2
3
4
E3. Location of hand-washing
facility.
E4. Water
available
currently?
E5. Soap or ash
available
currently?
1: Yes
1: Yes
1: Inside toilet/latrine blocks
2: Close to girls toilet/latrine blocks
3: Close to boys toilet/latrine blocks
4: In classrooms
5: Within grounds but not close to
toilets
3: Basin/bucket (hand-washing
done in the water and is not
running or poured)
6: Close to cooking areas
88: Other (please specify)
88: Other
7: Inside individual latrine/ toilet
stalls
2: No
E6. Is the hand-washing
station accessible to
children with
disabilities? (Both the
soap (or ash) and water
reachable)
E7. Is the hand-washing station
accessible to younger children?
(Both the soap (or ash) and
water reachable)
1: Yes
2: No
1: Yes
2: No
2: No
Notes
5
6
7
8
9
10
End Observation