Abstract

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) are basic necessities for both successful learning outcomes and overall school improvement, which, when inadequate, can result in higher rates of illness, absenteeism, and lower academic performance among students. This explanatory sequential mixed-method design aimed to explore the relationship between the conditions of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) facilities and the reported levels of psychosocial stress and distraction experienced by students through the perceptions of public junior high school students in Cebu City regarding the WaSH facilities in their schools, in order to inform and initiate data-driven improvements. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to examine the perceptions of fifty-one (51) students and teachers from various Cebu City public high schools. Data were gathered using a validated questionnaire (measuring emotional well-being, physical comfort, mental concentration, and social well-being) and followed by semi-structured interviews. Results showed that inadequate WaSH facilities have a negative effect on students' well-being across all measured domains, with physical comfort being the most severely affected (M=4.05, SD=0.755). These concerns were supported by qualitative data, which revealed that the facilities are substandard and poor, mainly due to malfunctioning door locks and irregular water supply. In addition to generating emotional discomfort, shame, and anxiety, these structural inadequacies threaten students' security and dignity and directly affect their ability to concentrate and utilize the facilities. Therefore, the study concluded that inadequate WaSH facilities in Cebu City public junior high schools do not only influence students’ physical comfort but also their psychosocial state and concentration. It is recommended that DepEd, LGUs, and schools strengthen and maintain WaSH programs and integrate hygiene and psychosocial support to create a safe learning environment.