A youth group in Nakuru wants the county government through the ministry of education to implement a policy that will guarantee safe play grounds for nursery and primary school children in Nakuru.
While talking to this writer in an interview on Monday at the group’s offices at Mawanga business centre, Antony Waweru, the Chairman of Mawanga Youth Agenda(MYA) observed that the group was concerned with insecurity posed with local nursery and primary schools playing grounds, noting that many parents had complained about their children getting injured while playing in school .
“This is an observation that we have made for a long time locally, and we want it to be addressed by the government because we are sure it is affecting many children across Nakuru region. There must be a policy that guarantees minimal risks at schools’ play grounds,” said Waweru.
“Many parents, including some of us have been forced to stop working after being called by teachers in school over injuries of our children while playing. Most of these playing grounds have defective playing equipment and environments that subject children to injuries,” he added.
“Some have been fatal and have left permanent defects and disabilities on victims. Parents also incur un-planned for costs in meeting medical expenses,” further noted Waweru.
The youth leader suggested that the government should implement a policy that requires schools to take responsibility for injuries at play grounds, apart from employing play grounds assistants to guide and oversee playing activities of children during play time.
The youth leader announced that his group would write a petition to the County Chief Education Officer and the Speaker of the County Assembly to address the issue.