Aiming for high standards of health and safety is the right thing to do and is not just about legal compliance. Achieving and proving excellence in the way health and safety risks are managed have massive benefits for any educational institution, thus the ministry of education being the custodian of the education affair of the country, it's their task to put in place safety measure to ensure smooth flow of education. Below are some of the practical interventions they could employ to achieve this;
The ministry of education has a legal duty to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments in accordance with regulations in all schools for their buildings and activities including, for example, school visits. The risk assessment should detail any risks associated with a facility or activity and what precautions must be taken to minimize any risk. Also, the ministry of education can establish proactive systems to manage health and safety. This can be done by implementing the Annual Assessment program and planning for budget and resourcing requirements.
The ministry of education should incorporate safety education as a subject in the curriculum whereby, the leaners get an opportunity to learn and explore more about safety. This will be an advantage for both the teaching and non-teaching staff because they will an opportunity and exercise on safety.
The ministry of education should deploy qualified safety personnel at least to every school who their sole task is to handle any emergencies that might arise in any school. They should also give safety education to both the learners and other employees in the school.
The ministry of education should ensure all schools requiring assistance are outfitted with the necessary security provisions to safeguard students, leaders and support staff and other stakeholders accessing school compounds.
The ministry of education should collaborate with all National and local government agencies that can assist the school with security and safety issues. The ministry of education should also encourage school administrators to network with emergency response agencies to establish coordinated emergency management plans including the police and fire services, health providers, hospitals and other responders.
The ministry of education should recommend that school administrators organize regular education programmes with the school’s welfare unit, including guidance and counseling and the police to conduct enlightening and motivational discussions with students.
In conclusion, the Ministry of Education together with the School Administrators should work hand in hand to ensure that there is safety in the learning institution. According to Abraham Maslow, in the absence of safety needs; due to war, natural disaster, family violence, childhood abuse among others, people may (re-)experience post-traumatic stress disorder or transgenerational trauma. This level is more likely to be found in children as they generally have a greater need to feel safe. Therefore, safety should be the primary concern of any learning institution, it should not be merely a ‘teaching shop’, it must transmit values and attitudes where learners feel safe thus enhancing individual discovery.
