E-waste Management Practices and Its Environmental Awareness in Secondary and TVET Schools in Nyanza District, Rwanda

Abstract

Background: Electronic equipment is increasingly embedded in teaching, administration and technical training, creating a growing need for appropriate end-of-life management in schools. Aim: The study assessed environmental awareness, e-waste management practices, and the relationship between them in secondary and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) schools in Nyanza District, Rwanda. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, mixed-methods design was used. A structured questionnaire was administered to 324 school staff selected by simple random sampling from 1,698 staff in 79 schools (with the sample size determined using Yamane’s formula), and 32 district and sector officials were purposively included as key informants. Pilot-tested scales were reliable (Cronbach’s α = 0.913 overall). Data were analysed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression in SPSS version 28; qualitative material was analysed thematically. Results: Awareness was moderate to high. Most respondents rated e-waste management as important (84.6%) and held favourable attitudes towards environmental protection (79.0%), and 52.5% reported a high level of knowledge of e-waste hazards, but only 21.0% received environmental training regularly. Practices were in place but were unevenly implemented: 34.0% rated disposal as fully or mostly safe, 38.3% reported disposal through certified recycling centres, and 45.1% reported disposal together with general waste. All awareness and institutional indicators correlated positively with every practice domain (r = 0.365–0.498, p < 0.001), and composite awareness correlated strongly with composite practices (r = 0.768). Five awareness indicators and three institutional factors together explained 65.9% of the variance in practices (R² = 0.659). Perceived importance (β = 0.191), attitude (β = 0.178), policy support (β = 0.170) and availability of facilities (β = 0.161) had the largest standardised coefficients. Conclusions: Awareness is positively associated with e-waste management practices in these schools, but favourable attitudes have not been matched by facilities, formal disposal routes and regular training. Cross-sectional, self-reported data limit causal inference. Interventions should combine practice-oriented environmental education with designated storage, accessible links to certified recyclers, and enforced school-level guidelines.