Status of special primary schools units physical safety in Kitui county, Kenya
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Date
2014-09-29
Authors
Mutwii, Joyce Mwikali
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kenyatta University
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to find out the status of special primary schools/units
physical safety and to give suggestions on how to minimize safety hazards and make
special primary schools/units safe zones for learners. The study was guided by several
objectives all aimed at finding out the current status of special primary schools/units
physical safety. It assessed threats to special primary schools/units physical safety,
learners' attitudes to their physical safety, challenges of providing and maintaining
adequate physical safety in special primary schools/units and strategies of improving
status of special primary schools/units physical safety for pupils with special needs in
Kitui County, Kenya. This study was found to be of significance at this time because;
safety in special primary schools/units is of paramount importance and has been
neglected overtime. Pupils of all ages are entitled to a safe school learning
environment. The environment has a huge impact on the pupils and as such if there is
a feeling of lack of safety among pupils, they become inattentive in class making
learning and acquisition of life skills difficult. To a special child therefore, the school
safety needs surpasses all the other needs. Descriptive survey research design was
adopted and purposive sampling technique used to select the respondents comprising
of school head teachers, teachers, support staff and learners. Data collection
instruments included questionnaires, interviews, and observation. Data was analysed
using both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques. The study fmdings
showed that the physical safety in special primary schools/units for children with
special needs was inadequate, therefore, safety threats existed in the selected special
primary schools/units, the learners' attitudes towards their safety in the selected
special primary schools/units was negative and there were challenges in provision and
maintenance of physical safety in the selected special primary schools/units. The
study made the following recommendations: There should be (i) Collaboration of all
stakeholders to come up with a working safety policy framework for children with
special needs ;(ii) Adherence to safety guidelines and precautions as stipulated by the
Ministry of Education to enhance safety for children with special needs in the selected
special primary schools/units and (iii) Ministry of Education officials should beef up
their visits to selected special primary schools/units for evaluation of how the safety
guidelines are implemented in the specific selected special primary schools/units.
Description
Department of Educational Management Policy & Curriculum Studies, 95p. 2014