Ogamba broke down the inspection into phases, with the first phase which commenced this week covering all boarding Primary and Junior schools in the country.
Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba has moved to ensure that all schools across the country are subjected to mandatory inspection in the wake of rampant school fires recently reported.
In a statement on Wednesday, September 11, Ogamba reiterated that the Ministry of Education has over the years 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 Manual for Schools in Kenya which provides a blueprint that he says 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
Scene at Hillside Endarasha Academy following a fire tragedy on September 6, 2024. /MACHARIA WANGUI
“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,” Ogamba left nothing to chance in his statement.
Citing the recent incident at Hillside Endarasha Academy, Nyeri Country, in which 21 innocent learners lost their lives as a result of a fire tragedy, Ogamba underscored the need for the Government and school managers to firmly enforce school safety guidelines at all times to avert a recurrence of similar cases going forward.
“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 Manual for Schools in Kenya,” he directed.
Ogamba broke down the inspection into phases, with the first phase which commenced this week covering all boarding Primary and Junior schools in the country.
The second phase of the inspection exercise will cover Secondary schools, an inspection which will involve officials from the Ministries of Education as well as the Ministries of 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 the reasons behind the recent spate of school fires that have been reported in a few schools in the country.
It will also 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.
Ogamba warned school heads found to have contravened the provisions of the Manual for Schools that decisive action will be taken against them.
“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 Manual for Schools in Kenya, in accordance with the Basic Education Act, 2013,” he sounded a warning.
In the meantime, the Ministry urged schools to step up their preparations for the national Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA), Kenya Intermediate Level Education Assessment (KILEA) and Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (KCSE) exams that are set to start at the end of the Third Term.
