Held in Accra last Thursday, the outdoor also saw the launch of the Safe School Annual Awards scheme, which is to recognise and reward schools, teachers and students who demonstrate attitudes and behaviours consistent with the Safe Schools implementation in schools at the district, regional and national levels to motivate other schools and individuals.

The launch, on the theme “Harnessing our collective effort to promote a safe, protective and inclusive school environment”, brought together some stakeholders in the education sector, students and representatives from the Ghana Education Service (GES).

Awards

Awards were given to some students who won the National Safe Schools Logo Competition, which was geared towards creating an identity and visibility for the Safe Schools Programme.

The overall winner, from the Fomena T.I Ahmadiya Senior High School in the Ashanti, Ofori Enock Jibril, went away with Gh¢ 7,000.

Hannah Egbenya from the Volta School for the Deaf in the Volta Region, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Fayad of Nyohini Presbyterian Junior High School “B” in the Northern Region and Yasmin Alidu Zendin of the Early Childhood Development Centre at Agona Swedru in the Central Region, received GH¢ 4,000 each.

Safe environment

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Education, Mamle Andrews, who read a speech on behalf of the Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, said for the country to achieve inclusive and quality education, there was a need for the child to have a safe environment devoid of neglect, abuse and maltreatment to have successful outcomes.

"It is for this reason that the ministry and the GES launched the Safe School Programme in 2018 to eradicate all forms of violence in schools," he said.

Dr Adutwum added that the ministry would continue to support the guidance and counselling units through the GES to intensify the localisation of the Safe Schools programme by training staff, teaching students in schools and classrooms and continuous collaboration with parents, families, communities and relevant stakeholders to see to the programme’s success.

According to him, leveraging individual and collective responsibilities and knowledge would help prevent and adequately respond to school violence and all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying.

Violence-free

The Director-General of the GES, Dr Eric Nkansah, also reiterated that the service believed that the attainment of violence-free schools was a collective responsibility, hence the tagline, “Safe school, a shared responsibility”.

The tagline, he said, emphasised the fact that there was a need for all hands on deck to provide and promote a safe, secure and inclusive environment for learners

"We say thank you to all our partners for your commitment to our quest to rid our schools of all forms of violence, including corporal punishment, sexual harassment and bullying. I am confident that through our collaborative efforts, the Safe School Programme will be a success," he added.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Representative in the country, Fiachra McAsey, stated that for good quality education, it was important for children to have a safe environment where they could learn and achieve their goals.