ABSTRACT

Safety of students in schools is not only vital but central to provision and acquisition of quality education in any country. The ministry of Education in Kenya has issued to schools, Safety Standards Manual that should serve as guide to school administrators to ensure there is safe and conducive learning environment in schools. The purpose of the study was, to investigate the implementation of the recommended Safety Standards in public Secondary Schools in Borabu District, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the safety standards, establish the level of implementation and identify factors influencing implementation of safety standards in public secondary schools of Borabu District, Kenya. The study using survey design targeted all the 21 public secondary schools in Borabu District, Nyamira County, Kenya. Stratified random sampling method was used to select the required sample of 11 public secondary schools. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data from key respondents comprising 11 Head teachers and 44 Teachers from the 11 sampled public secondary schools. Observation schedules were used to supplement the questionnaires. The researcher personally collected data from the field. A pilot study was conducted in two schools to assist the researcher in improving the validity of the tools. Descriptive statistics inform of frequencies, counts, percentages and mean were used to analyze data, which was then presented using tables, charts and graphs. The findings of the study revealed that most public secondary schools in Borabu District, Kenya were aware of the existing MOE safety standards, but majority of the schools had not implemented them fully. The study revealed that the status of School Safety was wanting, and that the public secondary schools that tried to implement the MOE Safety Standards faced number of challenges and obstacles, key among them lack of funds. Based on these findings the schools should be advised to establish school safety committees, train their staff on Disaster Management and involve the community in school safety programmes. Government should step up school safety inspection and seek ways of advancing funds to school to help them enhance safety measures. This study may be useful in establishing the rate at which the secondary schools are implementing the recommended safety standards, encourage the community and society to be positively involved and contribute in enhancing safety in schools. The study will as well assist policy makers to be aware of the challenges facing schools in the implementation of the MOE Safety Standards.