Adequacy of Safety Procedures and Infrastructure for School Safety in Kenya

Abstract

Safety for students and staff from hazards is threatened by inadequate procedures, infrastructure and poor environmental and architectural designs for safety needs. This study investigated the adequacy of procedures and infrastructure to respond to fire outbreaks and destructive violence with a view to making recommendations for improving safety conditions in schools in Kenya. The study adopted a survey research design in which a random sample of 210 respondents was drawn from seven secondary schools in Turkana County, Kenya. They included students, head teachers, teachers, non-teaching staff, community members, and key informants. Observation method was used to complement interviews in data collection. The data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program. The findings showed that schools in the County strongly relied on reactive approach to address safety concerns; poor infrastructure contributed to unsafe conditions and that schools’ environmental and architectural designs do not adequately enhance school safety. Based on these findings: schools should not over depend on reactive approach but adopt proactive programs to address safety concerns; safety procedures should be re-evaluated and made relevant to the current status of contemporary challenges in schools; Fencing and surveillance of schools’ environment should be improved to measure current needs and standards; adequate fire fighting equipment should be provided and strategically placed and school’s environmental and architectural designs should be improved to meet required standards.. The findings of the study and their implications will assist the teachers, students, parents and educational managers in policy guidelines on school safety.