Ricardo Whyte

Vector Control
To Investigate the Causes
of Rat Infestation at Calabar High School for Boys
 Table of Content

Content

In

Background/Overview………………………………………………

Problem Statement………………………………………………..

Research Objective: ………………………………………………..

Methodology………………………………………………………….

Assessment Criteria Mark

Background/Overview /2

Problem Statement /2

Research Objective /2

Methodology /8

Presentation of Data /5

Analysis and Interpretation of Data /5

Conclusion /2

Recommendations /4

Reflection /6

Overall Presentation /4
Total /40
 BACKGROUND/OVERVIEW

Background: Vectors, which are also known as rodents, are a serious problem in the country of

Jamaica. Vectors are usually caused by improper ways of disposing of garbage. A certain high

school suffers from a serious rat infestation due to unhygienic and improper practices in which

the school exercised horrendous methods of cleaning. The researchers did a thorough

investigation and discovered that the rat infestation takes place in the canteen, auditorium, car

parking lot, classrooms, and gymnasium (the rat’s nest).

 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Problem Statement: The researchers observed that the Calabar High School for Boys suffers

from a lethal rat infestation that was out of hand and needed to be dealt with immediately by Pest

Control and National Solid Waste Management. The main reason for this infestation problem

was the unhygienic and improper practices in which the school exercised horrendous methods of

cleaning.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

Research Objective: The researchers’ objective is to find out how the rat infestation started,

how it affected the students and members of staff, and a solution to prevent it from happening

again.
 Method of Investigation:
The researchers investigated via questionnaire to ask students, and members of staff to find out if

the school is being cleaned regularly, how is it being cleaned, how is the garbage being disposed

of, and in which areas of the school the rat infestation took place, how did it affect students and

members of staff. The researchers also interviewed the principal of the school. This method was

viewed as appropriate as it did not take up a lot of the respondent’s time, time that the researcher

did not request beforehand, and had several advantages, some of which included:

1. It has been proven to be efficient in obtaining the required information.

2. Being simple and not consuming a large amount of the neighbor’s time.

3. It enables information to be passed on directly and faster, as it only involved ticking boxes, as

opposed to writing out responses.

(How the data was collected, the time frame, what was used, when it was collected, and the

reason for using the method to collect data)

Questionnaire for students and members of staff:

1. Select your role at school

o Student

o Teacher

o Ancillary staff member

2. Is the school garbage being removed from classrooms and other locations on the school

compound?

o Yes

o No

o Not sure

3. How often is the school garbage removed from the classrooms and other locations on the school

compound and placed in a designated location?

o Daily

o Every Other Day excluding the weekends

o Once a Week

o Bi-Weekly(Every 2 weeks)

o Once A Month

o Every other month

o Not sure
4. Does the school separate the garbage (e.g. recycling items vs. trash?)

o Yes

o No

o Not sure

5. How is the garbage disposed of?

o National Solid Waste Management

o Incinerator

o Other (If “Other” is chosen state what it is)

o Not sure

6. If the garbage is disposed of by the National Solid Waste Management, how often do they collect

the garbage?

o Daily

o Every Other Day

o Weekly

o Bi-Weekly

o Monthly

o Can’t answer because I chose Incinerator/Other

o Not sure
7. If the garbage is incinerated, how often is it incinerated?

o Daily

o Every Other Day

o Weekly

o Bi-Weekly

o Monthly

o Can’t answer because I chose National Waste Management/Other

o Not sure

8. If “Other” was chosen state how often this method was used.

________________

9. Are you aware of the fact that your school has a rat infestation problem

o Yes

o No

10. Where in the school have you spotted rats?

o Classrooms

o Canteen

o The Swimming Pool (the gymnasium)

o Auditorium

o Car Park
 o Library

o Other (If other was chosen state where have you seen rats)

o I haven’t spotted any rats

11. Have you spotted any other rodents besides the rats?

o Yes (If “Yes” was chosen state what you saw)

o No
 REFLECTION

Reflection: From completing this School Based Assessment I have acquired knowledge on the proper

way of disposing of my garbage and other waste materials. This was an eye opener for me and it helped

me to realize that the root of pest problems otherwise known as vectors are mainly caused by how we as

citizens dispose of our waste.