A Survey of Disaster Preparedness and Safety Standards in Secondary Schools in Kenya

Abstract

When a natural hazard strikes, children are among the most vulnerable group, especially those attending school in times of disaster. In Kenya, to enable schools prepare against fire - related disasters, the minister for education directed that all provincial secondary boarding schools be given money to purchase and install fire - fighting equipment. The study , therefore, aimed at examining safety precautions and security standards put in place by school authorities to ensure safety of school communities, assess the measures put in place to mitigate disaster if and when it happens, and establish the mindset of school communities in terms of the possibility of a disaster happening in their schools. The study used a descriptive survey design with t he target population consisting of the secondary school principals and deputy principals. There were 175 secondary schools in the County. T he authors sampled 20% of the schools yielding 35 schools. The study found that that school heads were aware that disasters could occur any time in their schools. However, most of the safety situation guidelines were not being adhered to because majority of respondents in the schools were not competently ready to deal with disaster s or crises situations. The schools had not constituted strong and effective school safety sub - committees. The findings also indicated that some of the schools did not have scouting movements to help in training students on how to deal with disasters. Subsequently, rarely did students report on any spotted risk situations in the sampled schools. It was recommended that the Ministry of Education should periodically inspect schools to ensure t hat they fully comply with the requirements of the safety standards manual.