Assessment of the Implementation of Ministry of Education Safety Guidelines on Physical Infrastructure in Public Secondary Schools in Nairobi West Region, Kenya

Abstract

Safety of learners is central to the provision of education in any country. Unsafe schools can emanate from inappropriate school physical infrastructure among other factors. It is in this respect that this study assessed implementation of Ministry of Education safety guidelines on physical infrastructure in Nairobi West Region. All (25) public secondary schools in the study area were stratified according to administrative districts, type and category. A representative sample of 15 schools, 240 students and 43 teachers was randomly selected. Fifteen head teachers and six Education officers were purposively included in the sample. For data collection, the study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches, where convergent parallel design was employed. Questionnaires were used to gather information from head teachers, teachers and students whereas Interview guide was used to collect data from District Education Officers (DEOs) and District Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (DQASOs). Observation guide was used to complement other data collection instruments. Research questions addressed the following themes; safety status of physical infrastructure, factors affecting implementation of safety guidelines, involvement of stakeholders in the implementation of Ministry of Education safety guidelines on physical infrastructure, attitude of respondents towards implementation of Ministry of Education safety guidelines on physical infrastructure, and how to enhance implementation of safety guidelines in schools. Inferential statistics used for testing of null hypothesis was One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using both descriptive statistics and narrative techniques. The results of the study indicated that most schools had not fully implemented MOE safety guidelines on physical infrastructure. Testing of null hypothesis indicated that there was significant difference between head teachers’ and teachers’ attitude towards implementation of MOE safety guidelines and the safety status of physical infrastructures in public secondary schools in Nairobi West Region. The researcher recommended formulation of sound MOE safety guidelines implementation policies and provision of adequate resources to enable effective implementation of safety guidelines in schools. The researcher suggested further research on the impact of school facilities on students’ achievement, attendance, behaviour, completion rate and teacher turnover rate in schools in Kenya. Use of action research in provision of safe and protective school environment was also a suggested research area.