Programme monitoring

Updated - Tuesday 28 October 2003

Monitoring should be an on-going activity in school sanitation and hygiene programmes. Monitoring is not simply collecting information to "see how things are going". It is meant to help improve programmes and activities over the short term. Monitoring involves checking, analysing and acting to improve a situation. The action should be taken at the lowest possible level, with cross checks to make sure that the situation has in fact improved.

Most programmes that are serious about monitoring try to develop a small set of indicators that describe the minimum necessary conditions for programme success at the school level. It is very useful for those involved in projects, or those working in a particular place, to develop mutually-agreed and bottom-up lists of basic indicators. An indicator shows a standard that you want to reach. It can be written as a sentence or a question, as long as people understand its meaning in the same way.

The following is an example of a checklist which can be used by teachers at a school. In any particular school this can be adapted to the local situation.

Table 12: Example of a minimum checklist for latrines at a school

Indicator	Possible answer	Answer
Are the latrines functioning?	Yes or No
Total number of existing latrines	Number
Are there separate latrines for girls?	Yes or No
Are there separate latrines for female teachers?	Yes or No
Is there easy access to the latrines for the boys and girls?	Yes or No (e.g. in bad condition, locked so that there are not enough latrines for the children)
Number of girls who use one latrine	Good (less than 60 girls to 1 latrine); fair (60 girls to 130 to one latrine); poor (more than 130 girls for one latrine)
Number of boys who use one latrine	Good (less than 60 to 1 latrine); fair (60 to 130 to one latrine); poor (more than 130 boys for one latrine)
Condition of doors (also hinges and frame) for privacy	Good; fair (needs repair); bad (needs replacement)
Condition of roofs for protection	Good; fair (needs repair); bad (needs replacement)
Condition of slabs and pans	Good; fair (needs repair); bad (needs replacement)
Condition of vent pipes	Good; fair (needs repair); bad (needs replacement
Condition of Y-junctions	Good; fair (needs repair); bad (needs replacement
Condition of concrete covers	Good; fair (needs repair); bad (needs replacement)
Is there a bucket at least 1/3 full of water and a mug inside each latrine?	Yes or No (no cup, no bucket, or bucket is not 1/3 full)
Cleanliness: no visible garbage, excreta on floors. No visible excreta or dirt in pan	Good; fair (should be cleaned better or more often); bad (children don't like to use the latrine)
Are there hand washing facilities near the latrine?	Yes or No
Can these facilities be easily used by children? (has water, easy to reach etc.) Does it smell? Are there puddles or pools of water/urine?	Yes or No
Is there soap by the hand washing facility	Yes or No
Do children use the hand washing facilities? When?	Yes or No
How far is the water supply facility from the latrines?	Distance in time or (k)m
Is there a concrete apron and drain in good repair?	Good; fair (cracks, parts fallen off, needs repair); bad (needs replacement)
Is the area around the water point clean, free from visible garbage and puddles?	Good; fair (some garbage or puddles); bad (standing water and garbage make it difficult to walk)
Is the water from the facility safe for drinking purposes?	Yes or No