Ministry statement on adherence to safety standards by boarding schools

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

Nairobi, Tuesday, September 11, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

ADHERENCE TO SAFETY STANDARDS BY ALL BOARDING SCHOOLS IN KENYA

Over the years, the Ministry of Education has consistently put in place policy measures and guidelines aimed at ensuring that all public and private boarding schools adopt safety standards that provide a conducive environment for learners.

One of the key policy documents in place is the Safety Standards Manua/ for Schools in Kenya that provides a blueprint that must be adhered to by all public and private schools to ensure learner safety.

The manual, enforced by the Ministry of Education and relevant agencies, has so far served as an important guide in providing safe spaces for learners countrywide. The Safety Standards manual is available at the Ministry’s website: www.education.go.ke

Although the provisions of the Safety Standards Manual for Schools in Kenya have been adhered to by most schools, a few institutions have flouted the guidelines leading to most unfortunate and regrettable accidents that have, at times, cost innocent lives, caused injuries and led to loss of property,

The recent incident at Hillside Endarasha Academy, Nyeri Country, in which 21 innocent learners lost their lives as a result of a fire tragedy, has underscored the need for the Government and school managers to firmly enforce school safety guidelines at all times, if we are to avoid a recurrence of similar cases in the future.

It has, therefore, become necessary for the Ministry of Education, jointly with relevant agencies, to conduct an urgent countrywide inspection of all public and private basic learning institutions to assess their levels of compliance with the guidelines of the Safety Standards Manua/ for Schools in Kenya.

The first phase of this inspection, which started this week, will cover all boarding Primary and Junior schools in the country, while the second phase of the inspection exercise will cover Secondary schools.

The inspection will involve officials from the Ministries of Education, Interior and National Administration, Health and Department of Public Works. It will also involve officers from the County Governments and the Kenya Red Cross.

The inspection will also provide an opportunity for the Government to unearth reasons behind the recent spate of school fires that have been reported in a few schools in the country; and make appropriate recommendations to remedy the situation, in cases where there are fresh interventions required that are a departure from the indiscipline cases reported in the previous years.

Firm and decisive action will be taken against Ministry of Education officials, school administrators and managers found to have flouted the guidelines stipulated in the Safety Standards Manua/ for Schools in Kenya, in accordance with the Basic Education Act, 2013.

In the meantime, the Ministry wishes to urge schools to step up their preparations for the national Kenya Primary School Education Assessment, Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination that are set to start at the end of the Third Term.

We wish to assure the country that the Ministry will continue to support schools to remain safe and conducive spaces for quality and effective learning.

Julius Migos Ogamba, EBS
CABINET SECRETARY