Death of a child is one too many; entrench safety code in schools

By JOSEPH MWENDA

The demise of 14 pupils in last week’s tragedy at Kakamega Primary School was one death too many, as these children had aspirations, dreams and hopes for themselves and their families.

Disasters and other emergencies can happen at any time, and when they happen at school, everybody should be prepared to handle them safely and effectively.

Administrators, teachers, staff, parents and students can together promote and maintain school-wide safety and minimise the effects of emergencies and other situations.

School is considered one of the safest for students besides their homes. They spend a considerable amount of their lifetime in schools and, therefore, consider it as their second home.

Kenya has witnessed many deaths of students in schools — St Kizito, Kyanguli, Precious Talents, among others. The Education ministry has developed safety manuals, especially for boarding schools.

But are teachers and other staff trained in disaster preparedness? Do we have regular drills to help the students and teachers to respond accordingly?

Are we too focused on academic excellence at the expense of preparedness for any eventuality?

The Quality Assurance and Standards Division at the ministry ought to ensure that the safety of children in schools is upheld.

County governments, too, need to fortify their disaster management departments to respond swiftly to emergencies. The society should be sensitised on how to respond to disasters.

It was disheartening to see images of dead children being circulated on social media. This is the lowest form of dehumanising a person.

In well-ordered societies, this is unacceptable and the perpetrators are culpable.

As part of disaster preparedness in schools, the essential things to consider include, first and foremost, the buildings.

The Kakamega incident exposed the danger posed by high-rise storeys and narrow exits.

Competition for space with limited land must have informed the building design but that should not compromise the safety of the children.

Secondly, ensure safety in all parts of the school. Thirdly, designate an assembly point that is known by all, for accounting for everyone after a disaster. Fourthly, ensure drills and regular checks on First Aid preparedness by teachers and students.

The students and teachers also need to be helped with recovery from the loss of their colleagues through counselling

Lastly, good communication is essential for any disaster preparedness strategy. Information should be coordinated and figures validated.

In the era of social media, information is easily distorted, hence the need for a real-time update from a communication command centre to avoid misinformation and panic.