STAKEHOLDERS LEVEL OF AWARENESS ON LEARNERS SAFETY IN PRIMARY BOARDING SCHOOLS IN NORTH RIFT REGION, KENYA

According to studies and reports, a lack of commitment to safety policies causes children to feel unsafe in schools. This study aimed to determine the stakeholders level of awareness on learner safety in primary boarding schools in the North Rift Region, Kenya. The study employed a convergent design. The targeted population was derived from 161 Public and Private Primary Boarding Schools in the North Rift Region. The target population was 813, comprising of 161 head teachers, 322 teachers, 161 BOM chairpersons, 1610 pupil representatives and 8 QASO. The sample size for this study was 685 respondents comprising of 48 schools where 48 head teachers, 96 teachers and 8 QASO Officers, 48 BOM chairpersons and 483 pupil representatives. The researcher stratified schools from the 8 counties in the North Rift Region. The study used questionnaires, interview schedules, focus group discussions and observation checklists as the main data collection instruments. Data were both quantitative and qualitative. Data were analyzed using the thematic method. The study established that stakeholders level of awareness has a positive and significant effect on the safety of learners (β=.996, p=0.000). The study concluded that not all stakeholders are involved in decision-making regarding the safety policy implementation and training and induction courses for safety in the school. The Safety Standards Manual for Schools, being a Ministry of Education publication, should be availed to all school heads.