Education Ministry issues new security directives ahead of school games

The Ministry of Education has outlined a number of security measures to be observed during this year’s school games.

In a statement to media houses, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang called on county directors of education, principals of schools, and teachers to work closely with security personnel to ensure the security of pupils during the games.

“To organise such an activity the government has a common duty of care, safety and security of pupils, teachers and officials under its charge and this duty extends to provision of a safe school transport, security and accommodation,” read the statement in part.

“Consequently, the Ministry of Education has engaged security agencies to provide the necessary security at all venues and wishes to assure the public of their safety during the competitions.”

In the new security measures, outlined by the Ministry, all school transport movements will be restricted between 6.00am and 6.00pm with no night travel allowed.

The ministry also stated that buses or vans should not be overloaded nor allowed to exceed the authorised carrying capacity.

Belio further noted that: “Teachers shall be required to advise the students on the rules of safe travel on school buses, including misbehavior and danger of distracting the driver’s attention.”

“All buses or vehicles transporting pupils and teachers must have valid inspection certificate, PSV license and insurance for the correct capacity. The drivers should also have valid driving and PSV license.”

The buses, according to Kipsang, must contain basic emergency supplies like fire extinguishers, first aid kit, at least two hazard triangles.

Schools are also required to prohibit smoking in school buses and prevent use of drugs by all passengers on board.

“Schools accommodating the events must ensure safety and comfort of the students hosted in their institutions.”

The ministry further called on principals who intend to accompany their students to the events to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to safeguard the safety of the schools and learners during their period of participation in the activities.

Two major events in the school calendar have been lined up for August with the first being the Term Two B-Ball games running from August 2^nd to 7^th 2016 in Kisumu and the National Music Festival which runs from 8^th to 19^th August 2016 in Nairobi.

The music festival is set to attract about 120,000 pupils, 6,000 teachers and 9,000 schools.

Kenya is also set to host the Regional East Africa Secondary School Sports and Games competitions from August 25^th in Eldoret, bringing together students from South Sudan, Zanzibar, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda. The event will be attended by over 3,000 students and 1,000 teachers.

@benjaminwafula