First Aid in Tamale Metropolitan Basic Schools, Ghana (Who Is Responsible?)

First Aid in Tamale Metropolitan Basic Schools, Ghana (Who Is Responsible?)

Zakaria Shanunu

Issue: Vol.6 No.5 Issue Article 1 pp. 377 – 391
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025651 | Published online 4th April, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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ABSTRACT

Health and safety legislation places duties on teachers for the health and safety of their students in the classroom and anyone else on the premises of the school. The study aimed to determine who is responsible for offering first aid in basic schools of Tamale Metropolis- Northen region, Ghana. The study used a survey research design. Knowledge scores were computed giving minimum and maximum obtainable scores respectively. The main tool for the collection of data was a questionnaire and observation. The data collected was quantitatively analyzed using statistical frequencies. Respondents were reported as having inadequate knowledge, no training on first aid and administering of first aid activities done by anybody without referring to experts or trained personnel in the schools. Lack of basic knowledge of the programme among them will hinder its effective implementation. This may inform training interventions to upgrade their knowledge in first aid programmes. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education and other allied agencies should establish some mandatory policies for professionals involved in medicine to be attached to the basic schools in Tamale Metropolis. Regular workshops and training must be given to teachers. As part of a contribution to knowledge, the paper has exposed the lack of inappropriate methods used in purchasing drugs in schools and the involvement of non-medical professionals in the activities of first aid in Basic schools in the Tamale Metropolis.

Keywords: First Aid, Teachers, Children, Physical Activity, Safety Measures, Injuries, Basic Schools.

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ABOUT AUTHOR(S)

Zakaria Shanunu holds a PhD in Culture and Development Studies. He is currently a Senior Lecturer and Head of Department at the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, University for Development Studies, Nyankpala campus, Ghana. His research area focuses on Sociology and Social work, Culture, Sports, Rural Development and Social policy. He has published a number of articles in these areas.

TO CITE ARTICLE

Shanunu, Zakaria. “First Aid in Tamale Metropolitan Basic Schools, Ghana (Who Is Responsible?),” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.5 (2025): 377 – 391. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025651