Boarding Schools Are Ill-prepared To Handle Fires, Report Reveals
The report by the office of the Auditor-General shows how boarding schools are ill-prepared to handle fires.
According to the Auditor-General, there is inadequate infrastructure, limited training on fire safety preparedness, and insufficient guidance and counselling in schools.
Despite being mandated to have enough fire extinguishers, fire alarms, and fire blankets, the majority of schools, according to a survey that sampled 42 schools spread across five counties, lack the equipment necessary to address a fire incident.
The Auditor-General also pointed out that most schools don’t have required evacuation plans posted at each entrance.
Boarding Schools Are Ill-prepared To Handle Fires, Report Reveals
There were no evacuation maps in any of the 42 schools that were sampled, defying practice.
The research states that the majority of sampled schools placed the fewest fire extinguishers in hallways, some of which lacked fire assembly points.
Certain schools were not built in compliance with the necessary safety regulations, according to the special audit on school fires.
For example, doors to dormitories and classrooms must open outwards; in violation of safety regulations, 22 schools had doors that opened inside.
Students are likely to lock themselves inside during the battle to escape in the case of a fire breakout.
Additionally, the research revealed that some schools had metal grills installed to reinforce their windows, which made it more difficult to evacuate pupils in the event of a fire.
Despite Ministry of Education regulation mandating that a dormitory have doors at both ends, several schools only have one door at the hostel.
Thirty of the forty sampled schools had more students than indicated on the registration certificate; the top school had more than 519.
In violation of the law, twenty-nine schools had classrooms with more than forty-five students.
Six schools had triple-decker beds, despite the Ministry of Education only authorizing double-decker beds in classrooms, according to the audit.
Boarding Schools Are Ill-prepared To Handle Fires, Report Reveals
Additionally, schools disregarded the two-meter walkway space requirement in the dorms; 34 boarding schools had double-decker beds with improper spacing, and the majority of the dormitories were crowded.
The Auditor-General recommended the Ministry of Education undertake a compliance audit on schools to guarantee safety in schools.
