School Safety Programme

The Ministry of Education is concerned about the safety of students while in the schools: Safety in terms of natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, accidents, landslides etc., that might occur while school is in session which could result in a number of casualties and death.

According to Mr. Michael Blake, Director of the school safety programme, "It is imperative that school children be provided with a package of information, knowledge and skills that can be utilized to minimise the effect of any such threat". In order to do this a committee was put in place. This committee is comprised of representatives from various organizations such as:

  • The Ministry of Education
  • The Department of Youth
  • The Police
  • The defense Force
  • The Public Works Department
  • The Department of physical Planning
  • The Red Cross
  • The Fire & Rescue Services
  • NEMA
  • The principals Association
  • The National P. T. A.
  • The guidance Counsellors Network

Objectives

  1. To create an environment in and around schools that conduces to physical safety
  2. To examine, ascertain, and where necessary, make appropriate recommendations to relevant authorities the structural integrity of school buildings
  3. To introduce in schools a regime of training to respond to threats or occurrences of natural disasters
  4. To equip schools with the basis disaster-preventing and disaster fighting tools, as far as possible
  5. To liase with other agencies (Government, NGO’s, CVO’s, etc) to facilitate safety at schools
  6. To reduce to its barest minimum causalities and/or damage in the event of a disaster.

Powers

The School Safety Program (SSP) council is empowered to:

  1. Visit schools to conduct inspection, training, monitoring, etc, in consultation with the Chief Education Officer
  2. Make recommendations with a view to enhancing/securing the safety of schools
  3. Pursue means of acquiring assistance to enable it to fulfill the objective of SSP

Functions

  • To provide and disseminate a school safety-procedure handbook
  • To provide Basic Aid Training
  • To propose a curriculum for training in school safety
  • To post signs and warnings as appropriate in schools
  • To conduct simulation exercises, drills, evacuation procedures, etc.
  • To assist schools in identifying their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (SWOTS), needs and challenges
  • To report regularly to the Chief Education Officer

The Safety program is hoped to come onstream in January of 2009.