Level of Compliance of the School Safety Standards in Public Boarding Secondary Schools in Trans-Nzoia County, Kenya

Abstract

The Kenyan government has committed to promote access to equity, participation, retention, completion and quality at the schools level. Education is bound to be affected if safety and security concerns of students are not addressed fully. The study sought to examine the effect of existing crime prevention practices on student safety in public boarding secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County. The study adopted a pragmatic philosophy which focuses on the problem rather than the method of approach. The study employed a mixed method approach that utilized both quantitative and qualitative method of data collection. The study used simple random sampling and purposive sampling procedure to select boarding secondary schools. The total s was 403 respondents which comprised of 20 principals, 143 teachers, 220 students and 20 security officers. Questionnaires, interview schedule and focus groups were used as data collection instruments. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques that were frequencies and percentages. The hypothesis was tested using Pearson’s product moment correlation coefficient. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The study established that most schools had not complied with the ministry of education safety standards, majority of the teachers, students and staffs were not trained and aware of the safety measures. The study recommends that the schools should comply with Ministry safety standards to guarantee students safety