ABSTRACT
Safety of pupils in schools is a matter of concern globally. In Kenyan schools, children have lost their lives in the past few years due to arson, accidents and poisoning. Specifically, in Vihiga County, a high number of accidents have been reported in schools in spite of the existence of safety standards manual by the Ministry of Education. Although accidents could occur due to various factors, the study only purposed to find out the influence of teachers‟ preparedness on the provision of safe pre- school learning environment, since they are the key child caregivers in preschool. The study variables were; availability and knowledge of content of the safety standard manual, teacher training/ in-servicing, school organization and management, supervision, provision of safe physical learning environment and challenges faced by teachers in provision of safe learning environment. The study adopted a descriptive survey design, comprising a target of 300 preschools and 1200 preschool teachers, and a sample size of 60 (20%) preschools and 120 (10%) teachers from Vihiga County which was purposively selected for study, while systematic random sampling technique was employed to get the required number of pre-primary schools and teachers. Data was collected using questionnaires for preschool teachers and an observation checklist. Data was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The findings established that, the rating of safety in the preschools sampled was generally high but it is good to emphasize that accidents are preventable through instituting safety measures but if they did occur, they should not exceed 2%. On availability and knowledge of the standard safety manual‟s contents by teachers and as observed by the researcher, were more aware about it while on the side of teachers, it was moderate. The most contributing factor hindering teacher preparedness on provision of safety was lack of frequent in- service training on how to ensure safety in the school environment. The study therefore recommended that; the preschool management should facilitate more in-service training/seminars for teachers in order to improve on their level of knowledge on safe learning environment; school management boards should ensure that information about safety requirements as stipulated in the policy guidelines is disseminated to all teachers and the surrounding community members and not to assume that they were aware of their existence.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Introduction
This chapter contains the background of the study, statement of the problem, general and specific objectives of the study, research questions, rationale of the study, limitation and delimitation, study assumptions, theoretical and conceptual framework and finally, operational definition of terms.
Background of the Study
An unsafe pre-primary school environment entails the presence of any factor contributing to ill fortune that may cause harm to the child and requires the intervention of a well-prepared caregiver in terms of skills and competence in managing such situations. According to (UNISDR 2008; ARC, 2009), an unsafe or disaster-prone environment has long-term social, psychological and physical effects especially on preschool children who are the most vulnerable when compared to their older counterparts in school. An unsafe environment such as a school and its constituents could negatively impact on education by disrupting the school calendar, damaging school structures/ equipment as well as causing physical and psychological trauma to pupils. Such a situation may ultimately lead to attention-deficit problems and lack of focus, thereby interfering with the child‟s potential to learn (UNESCO, 2010). An unsafe environment is disastrous and is one of the leading cause of death among children aged 1 to 8 years (Weintrub, 2012). Nelson (2000), concurs with these
sentiments in his study in the United States of America (USA). Thus teachers‟ knowledge on the best safety-care practices is a significant factor.
It is important to note that protection of children from unsafe situations or environments has from time immemorial been a subject of discussion in international forums (ICRC, 2012) with emphasis on preparedness education in order to protect the most vulnerable members in the society. However, accidents among children continue to rise due to unsafe environments. Asia leads as the most affected continent (IFRC, 2000), with 39% accounting for 74.5% of casualties being school children. This has made countries such as Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Honduras, and India to integrate safety mitigation strategies into their school‟s curriculum (UNDP, 2010), as a disaster risk reduction (DRR) measure.
The role of the school administration or organization is to promote the well-being of the youngest learners in preschool and the disabled who are particularly the most affected and vulnerable, thus being the prime victims of harm due to lapses in safety measures (Phillips, 2009; Paine, 2009; Porter, 2010; Reeves, Brock, & Cowan, 2008; Smith & Riley, 2012). Various governments have thus launched and put in place policies on safety preparedness, but in spite the efforts, there is still a rise in the number of casualties witnessed in schools even in developed countries especially involving fire cases, making the school‟s preparedness questionable (U.S Fire Administration, National Fire Data Centre, 2007).
A survey by Arson Control Forum in 2006 carried out in the United Kingdom (UK) indicated that nearly half of the schools had experienced serious incidents of fires. It was also noted that most common fire in England and Wales were not only as a result of circumstance like setting fire to burn rubbish but also deliberate or suspicious intentions (Arson Control Forum, 2006) some of which could be prevented. Mugo (2005; 2009) for instance, points out that after burning rubbish in the school compound it is necessary to keep watch until the fire dies out. Teachers in schools particularly play an important role in enlightening children about safety so that they can be concerned for their safety (Carter, 2001) and need to be alert while they have children under their custody. Research has also found out that advanced preparation for safety can save lives, reduce injuries and prevent damage to property and critical infrastructure found in schools (Ronan & Johnston, 2005) thus educators need to be more responsive in taking up the challenge. School teachers are expected to carry out safety education and regulation reforms, to improve their knowledge and competence in managing calamities in school (Brown, 2008) in order for the children to enjoy their safety right. Nevertheless, in spite of the high expectations placed, there has been no substantial indication showing whether the school teachers are prepared and equipped to deal with such demands McGarr and Keaney (2009) and there is need to establish how well or not teachers are trained in colleges to deal with the menace.
In Africa, like in the most developed countries, accidents are rampant in schools. In Uganda for example, Budo Junior School near Kampala experienced a fire disaster claiming the lives of at least 19 girls and 2 caregivers (BBC, 15th April 2008). Some components of a safe school or learning environment comprise trained personnel in
safety-care, safe water source, secure compound with an intact fence, presence of fire extinguishers, adequate and well maintained facilities, good ventilation and lighting of classrooms, accident free environment devoid of sharp objects as well as clutter on the ground, secure area for incineration/waste disposal, violence/ abuse free surroundings, regular application of hygiene measures and a positive social environment among others (Mugo, 2005; MoE, 2008). However, despite the Ministry of Education coming up with a comprehensive safety provision initiative by instituting of a safety standard manual and also a legal act for schools in Kenya (MoE, 2008) that outline the do‟s and don‟ts of safety preparedness, there has been an increase in the number of child casualties in schools. An escalation in number of accidents and loss of lives in some cases have been witnessed (Simatwa, 2007), majority of which could have been avoided. Mugo (2005) rightly reveals that 98% of school accidents are preventable which implies that only 2% of them or less should occur.
A research study conducted in Kenyan secondary schools by Akali, Khabamba and Munyingi (2011) for instance indicates that there is very little done in schools to prevent fires amongst other misfortunes. They revealed that only a handful of schools have firefighting gears and equipment like extinguishers which are deemed as important components of a safe and secure school environment. To make it worse, regular inspections on safety measures in school by relevant government authorities appear to be wanting. Njoroge (2008) found out that even the school inspectors (QUASOs) hardly performed safety and disaster preparedness assessment during routine checks in schools. This confirms why a number of sub-standard buildings in schools collapsed killing 7 children in Nairobi the recent past. Another case in point is a school in
Kakamega County, where 14 children of Kakamega primary, recently died from a stampede (BBC, 2019; 2020; Daily Nation, 2020).
Furthermore, incidents of improper implementation of school safety are real and a hurdle in the attainment of universal primary education goals in Kenya by 2015 as Ramani (2003) pointed. Lack of toilets and running water are some of the impediments particularly in rural areas and slums. In the assessment Report on Education needs of Kisumu district schools, Maulidi (2005) observed that certain schools require renovation, electricity and better water and sanitation facilities. Schools were found to lack health initiatives and basics such as first aid kits.
