Evaluation of Safety Practices in Biology Laboratories in Selected Secondary Schools within Gumel Emirate, Jigawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The work was carried out to find out the extent the teachers and students are aware of safety practices and device while working in the biology laboratories during practical sessions. The research questions were answered and the significant of the work was outlined. The methodology was thoroughly explained; sets of questionnaires were used for teachers and students, followed with interviewed. These methods were used as a means of data collection. Ten (10) secondary schools were selected randomly for the work. A total of twenty-three (23) biology teachers and one hundred (100) students were used. The data collected were analyzed, which revealed that 71%of the students and 73% of the teachers have good knowledge of safety practices in biology laboratories. Majority of the biology teachers in the selected secondary schools are Bsc Ed holders, with the number constitutes 65% with (5 - 10) years working experiences. Majority of the selected biology laboratories have inadequate first aid kits. The only available items were cotton wool, bandage, Delton solution and iodine solution. The finding revealed that teachers and students in the selected schools have good knowledge of safety practices. However, majority of the schools lacked safety gadget and inadequate first aid kits.