The State of Safety and Security in Selected Students’ Boarding Houses of Lusaka City, Zambia

Safety and security management in learning environments and spaces is a growing concern globally. Students have the right to learn in a safe and secure environment. Safety and security in class rooms, student boarding houses or hostels and other learning spaces should be taken care of if learning is to be meaningful. This paper explored safety and security issues in selected students’ boarding houses of Lusaka city. Using purposive and simple random sampling, a sample of 4 student boarding houses were randomly selected and 10 students from each house. Data was collected using unstructured interviews and focus group discussion. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis. This paper established that selected boarding houses in Lusaka city faced many safety and security challenges such lack of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras, lack of firefighting equipment, lack of security lights, unlockable doors, windows and gates among others. This study established that as much as the selected boarding houses had put in place safety and security measures, there were still outstanding safety and security concerns. Boarding houses owners could also install CCTV cameras to improve surveillance of boarding houses. The landlord could ensure all welfare facilities in the boarding house are provided and in good condition to enhance the safety and security of the students lodging in that particular boarding house. Also, local authorities should collaborate with relevant authorities to inspect the living conditions of boarding houses to ensure safety and security of students is safeguarded. Boarding houses should also be registered with local authorities to ensure the safety and security of students is monitored. Landlords must also orient students to be responsible users of boarding house facilities and report and security concerns observed.