Influence of safety standards training on the implementation of safety standards in boarding schools in Kenya: A case study of rangwe sub-county

In the year 2021 October /November an estimated 35 schools across Kenya were set on fire causing many to close down. This led to Ministry of Education’s directive to have students proceed on unprecedented half term recess from 19 November to 23 November 2021. Earlier on, waves of arson had been experienced. It is important to note that, despite the existence of school safety standards guidelines since 2008, cases of student’s tragedies in schools as a result of insecurity have continued to be reported more so in boarding schools every year. For instance, in Rangwe Sub-county, Kenya between 2012 and 2018, 8 students lost their lives in a Girls Boarding Primary School while, properties of unknown value were burnt down when fierce fires gutted down dormitories at a girl’s secondary school and a boy’s secondary school. In another instance, a 17- year- old student was arrested after he was found with a gun in school at a boy’s secondary school. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of safety standards training on implementation of school safety standards in boarding schools in Rangwe Sub-county. The study established that training on implementation of school safety standards accounted for 40% of the variation in the implementation of safety standards. This means that training on implementation of safety standards enhanced the implementation of school safety standards in boarding schools in Rangwe sub-county. The study concluded that safety standards training influenced the implementation of safety standards in boarding schools in Rangwe Sub-county. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that, principals, head teachers, teachers, students and security personnel be regularly trained on management of school safety standards. The findings of this study are significant to educational managers by enhancing their understanding of training which shapes the implementation of safety standards in boarding schools. It also forms baseline information for future research in related areas.