Noise Exposure Levels in Basic School Environments in a City in Ghana

Basic schools that are located in heavily populated residential and commercial areas in Ghana are exposed to environmental noise that can have detrimental effects on the academic attainments of children. Limited studies have been conducted on noise level in basic schools to date in Ghana. The objective of the study was to assess noise levels in and around learning spaces in basic schools in Ghana with a focus on Kumasi. A survey employing the use of interviews and an empirical monitoring of noise levels in and around learning spaces in four selected basic schools were adopted. The study revealed that mean outdoor and indoor noise levels exceed the World Health Organisation permissible limits by 30 - 40 percent and 90 - 107 percent respectively for schools in the commercial zones and schools that are located near highways. The school that is sited in an educational environment with a setback from the highway attained mean noise levels ranging from 1.2 percent below to 3.7 percent above the permissible limits for outdoor and between 64 - 105 percent for indoor. The outcome of the study is expected to engender the design of environmental noise resilient buildings to facilitate teaching and learning in basic schools in Ghana.