AN INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SAFETY STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES ON THE STUDENT ABUSE PROTECTION IN PUBLIC BOARDING SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KITUI COUNTY, KENYA

There is a contemporary anxiety caused by issues of disasters in secondary schools in Kenya which necessitates need to look at the schools’ security systems. The aim of this research was to look into the implementation of safety standards and guidelines on the student abuse protection in public boarding secondary schools in Kitui County. The objectives were to establish the magnitude to which sexual abuse protection had been implemented on sexual protection and to establish the magnitude to which corporal punishment protection had been implemented on student abuse protection. The importance of security in school administration was the rationale for this research as the scarcity of researches in this area was the significance. The investigation was led by the securitization and disaster managing theories. The mixed methodology approach was adopted and the design being concurrent triangulation. Targeted populace was 16,875 which included; 1,940 teachers and 14,903 students, 16 education officers and 16 senior police officers. The sample was 650 participants. From 20 stratified sampled schools, 240 teachers and 400 students were used. From the education and security officers, 5 participants were used in each category. Stratified sampling was used to get 5 schools from each of the 8 constituencies; then random sampling was used to get 20 schools. Principals and deputies were purposively sampled. The researcher used random sampling for teachers and leaners and purposive for education and security officers. Likert scale surveys were utilized in the case of teachers and learners. Interview schedules were used for education and security officers and an observation checklist was used too. The data collection tools were tested in 2 boarding institutions which were not included in the last study sample. The specialists examined data collection tools for validity and test retest technique was done for reliability with coefficient of .902. For credibility, simultaneous triangulation was employed. Numerical facts were evaluated in expressive data using tables, frequencies and percentages. Chi-square was employed to find out the degree to which the variables related with one another. Non numerical facts were explained through narrative form. The study established that sexual abuse and corporal punishment existed in schools and the students were not protected when travelling between the schools and homes. It was recommended that the government put in place measures for sexual abuse protection. Further research was recommended in security in higher institutions of learning.