Nyamira County Commissioner, Erastus Mbui has urged school administrators to take keen interest in students’ safety while in school.
The commissioner made this appeal while on a spot check in sampled schools within Nyamira County to assess safety measures put in place by administrators to ensure that students learn from a safe and conducive environment and have basic skills to swiftly assist them when faced with life threatening emergencies and even train the same skills to students.
“Emergencies and disasters happen when least expected and school managers and other key school administrators must at all times be overly alert for any eventuality within leaning institutions to act swiftly and appropriately to cushion against reporting any fatalities.” Commissioner Mbui cautioned.
“Unanticipated disasters can emanate from within or outside or just be caused by natural phenomena. During this season of heavy rains, the wild storms can cause damage to school infrastructure while students are in it. The nature of rain in Nyamira, which is characterized by heavy destructive thunderstorms, shouldn’t be underestimated. Put lighting arresters in buildings, provide a spacious unclogged drainage system to manage channeling runoff water within the school compounds to appropriate exit destinations,” advised the county CC.
He further said that power connections must be done with qualified and accredited professionals from Kenya power to avoid faults due to rampant outages that may cause fire.
He pointed out that students are equally undergoing a lot of stress caused by several underlying situations and conditions including pressure to perform in school. They can thus be easily lured into engaging in destructive criminal activities like setting the school ablaze or revenge to a fellow who wronged them or resort to self-harm like attempting or committing suicide.
“Revitalize the guidance and counselling departments in schools to keep on counselling our students and assure them that they still have a bright future after the exam season and there is therefore nothing to worry much about,” he advised.
Mbui thus urged especially school heads to prioritise safety of learners as one of their critical responsibilities as managers in learning institutions since these children are the future generation, for communities they come from, to be depended on. That is the main objective why countries invest in education.
The country has in a few days ago had to contend with harrowing fire disasters in some schools leaving torturous memories of lost lives, painful body injuries and scars, destruction of property. These incidents have far reaching effects directly and indirectly the reason why institution managers need to be reminded all the time to be on high alert to avoid a repeat of the same.
By Deborah Bochere
