The school safety project is all about the safety of children while they are on the school premises. Although a large component of it concerns what should take place in the event of natural disasters, it is more extensive and includes the general safety of students in threatening circumstances. In other words all aspects of student safety from arrival at school until they go home at the end of the day are addressed.
Education officials are determined that with all the other threats to the safety of school children it is important that at least their schools be a safe haven.
Several sudden and tragic natural disasters throughout the globe have alerted persons to the fact that often when these occur children are still at school, as such the school safety programme was conceptualized and applauded by UNESCO as being a valuable programme.
Project Components which add value:
- Regular Safety Drills
- Training of teachers and school administrators: inclusion at the highest level and the desire for personal and student safety resulted in a high level of involvement and dedication.
- Provision of safety supplies such as fire extinguishers;
- Production of a safety manual which is now available at all of the schools for specific instructions in the event of varying types of threats.
- Partnerships with stakeholders including the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services Department; and The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, St .Kitts Nevis Red Cross Society, and the public works department among other partners.
- School Safety Council: leading the way in terms of heading a management committee for the School Safety programme, dealing with issue such as maintenance of safety equipment, school drill frequency etc.
Excerpt from School Safety Manual
“Education mitigates the psychosocial impact of conflict and disasters by giving a sense of normalcy, stability, structure, and hope for the future during a time of crisis, and provides essential building blocks for future economic stability. Education, critically, also provides the knowledge and skills to survive in a crisis via the dissemination of lifesaving information.”
