The Impact of Malaria on Primary Education in Rwanda, a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: A Case Study of Primary Schools in Kicukiro District

Joie Lea Murorunkwere
Dr. Sylvestre Mbanza
University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies, Rwanda
Corresponding Author Email: isimbilea@gmail.com

Abstract: Malaria parasite in primary school is gradually recognized as a pertinent public health problem, but the data on the actual occurrence and health consequences are insufficient. Research indicates that children who suffer from ill-health are less likely to attend or complete schooling. Malaria is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in school-age children. The present study aimed at estimating the impact of malaria on school-based attendance, health and education outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess malaria’s impact on school performance among children aged from 6 to 14 years. A cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 57primary schools in Kicukiro District. The first approach was school attendance checks, the second included prevalence of malaria infection, educational performance, and health-seeking behavior. From 3308 children randomly selected for assessment of school attendance, were composed of 1103 Children by Control and 2205 Children by Intervention. It is clear that from the intervention schools, girls had nearly twice the odds of attending at least one school than boys. The school characteristics of selected children from 18 schools in control and 39 schools in intervention groups respectively show that 66.7% were recorded as malaria case-control while 53.8% were malaria intervention. On the other hand, water and sanitation 38.9% recorded as control while 41% were reported as interventions. The study concluded that malaria provokes student absenteeism that implicates in pupils’ poor performance. Although seemingly asymptomatic in the vast majority of cases, infection is associated with a number of non-specific symptoms in the children ́s histories. This argues for improved malaria surveillance and control among school children.