Disaster preparedness in public secondary schools in Mutito constituency, Kitui county, Kenya
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Date
2014-08-08
Authors
Kyambi, Charles Muema
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Abstract
The purpose of the study was to assess the level of disaster preparedness in public
secondary schools in Mutito Constituency, with an aim of suggesting policy measures
that could be employed to enhance disaster management in secondary schools in Kenya.
The objectives of the study were; to find out whether secondary schools in Mutito
Constituency have been implementing the Ministry of Education policy guidelines on
safety and disaster preparedness in institutions of learning; to assess the levels of
knowledge of safety guidelines among secondary school headteachers, teachers and
students; to determine the attitudes of headteachers, teachers and students toward various
disaster preparedness issues; to identify the factors hindering adherence to disaster
preparedness guidelines in secondary schools and to suggest policy measures that could
be employed to enhance disaster management in secondary schools in Kenya. The study
.used a descriptive survey design. The target population was all the 20 principals, 287
teachers and 5891 students in the 20 public secondary schools in Mutito constituency .
. Simple random sampling was used to select 6 teachers per school, giving rise to 90
teachers. From each of the sampled schools, 24 students were selected randomly from
Form 3 and Form 4 (12 students from each class), giving a sample of 360 students. All
the 15 principals from the 15 sampled schools participated in the study. The sample size
therefore included 360 students, 15 head teachers and 90 teachers. Questionnaires and an
observation schedule were used as the main tools for data collection. The study gathered
both qualitative and quantitative data. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive
statistics including frequencies and percentages. Qualitative data Was put under themes
consistent with the research objectives. The study established that that most of the
schools in Mutito constituency partially implemented safety guidelines set in classrooms,
dormitories, sanitation infrastructures, libraries and administration block. It was
established that all the sampled schools did not have safety standard manuals which .
explains why most of the principals, teachers and students were not aware of the safety
precautions. The study also established that most schools do not conduct adequate
training for staff and students on how to prevent disaster. It however emerged that
principals, teachers and students had a positive attitude towards school safety guidelines.
The study recommends that relevant authorities should organize frequent workshops and
seminars for teachers, students and parents to sensitize them on disaster management;
schools should be inspected frequently to check whether they fully implement the school
safety guidelines; among other recommendations.
Description
Department of Educational Management Policy & Curriculum Studies, 50p. 2013