Institutional Factors Influencing Implementation Of Safety Standards In Public Secondary Schools In Yatta Sub-County, Machakos County Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the institutional factors influencing implementation to safety standards and guidelines in public Secondary Schools in Yatta Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya. The objectives that guided the study were to determine extend to which availability of financial resources, staff training, students’ participation in maintenance of safe institutional environment and principal’s strategies to issues of safety standards influenced the implementation to safety standards and guidelines in public secondary schools in Yatta Sub County. The study was guided by the systems theory. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The research target population was 55 principals’ and 350 secondary school teachers. The study sample population was 55 principals and 116 teachers. The teachers and the schools were stratified per division after which simple random sampling was used to select them. The study used questionnaire for both principals and teachers. Content validity of the research instruments was ascertained by a team of experts in Educational Administration and through piloting of the test items while reliability of the questionnaires was ascertained by a test-re-test technique where a coefficient of stability of 0.92 was obtained using the Pearson’s product moment formula. Data was collected by use of questionnaires for both principals and teachers. The data was analyzed by use of SPSS programme. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze teachers’ demographic data and the responses on institutional influencing implementation to safety standards and guidelines. The results from the questionnaire were presented in frequency tables, pie charts and bar graphs. The study established that safety situation in secondary schools in Yatta sub county was inadequate as attested by 53.3% of the respondents. The study also found out that financial resource was an obstacle in implementation of safety guidelines as evidenced by 69 percent of the respondents. From the study findings, 49 percent of the principals had purchased adequate infrastructure to safety while 51percent of the principals which comprise majority had not been able to purchase adequate infrastructure to safety. The study also established that there was inadequate staff training though majority of teachers 69 percent were familiar with safety standards manual. Students were found not to be exposed to awareness of safety as evidenced by only 26 percent of respondents who said they had created awareness to their students. Principals’ strategies on safety guidelines was a factor influencing implementation of safety standard as this was evident in 39 cases (70.9 percent) of principals who had not formed safety committees. In conclusion financial resources should be availed in schools by the ministry of education to promote safety standards implementation. School management should ensure teachers and students are trained and sensitized on issues of safety standards. Principals be adequately exposed to issues that promote safety through symposiums and safety training conferences. The study recommends that financial resources be availed, staff be trained, students’ participation be increased and principals be exposed to issues of safety in secondary schools.