The Comprehensive School Safety Framework 2022-2030 provides a clear roadmap for action, which can easily be replicated at regional and national level
Several countries across the Caribbean and the Asia-Pacific region have already fully integrated the CSSF in their Education and/or Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Policy Frameworks. Similar initiatives could be reproduced in other regions. As an illustration, the Caribbean School Safety Initiative (CSSI) brings Caribbean countries together around a joint roadmap based on the pillars of the CSSF. In June 2022, 19 countries renewed their commitments at the occasion of the Third Caribbean Ministerial Forum on School Safety, hosted by the Government of Sint Marteen.
Concretely, the CSSF 2022-2030 has four key components, including a cross-cutting foundation and three intersecting pillars.
Enabling systems and policies
The foundation of the CSSF 2022-2030 focuses on strengthening system-level resilience. This includes the enabling systems and policies aimed to protect the safety, health, and well-being of the entire school community; provide effective educational continuity measures; protect education sector investments; and promote a culture of safety and resilience.
Pillar 1: Safer learning facilities
Safer Learning Facilities addresses both new and existing school facilities including building safer and greener installations. For new facilities, it focuses on site-selection, design, and construction in order to ensure safety from physical, biological, chemical and social threats. For existing facilities, it focuses on the identification and prioritization of facilities for repair, retrofit, replacement or relocation, as well as on the maintenance of physical learning environments.
Pillar 2: School safety & educational continuity management
School safety management addresses equity-focused planning for children’s health, safety, and well-being for educational continuity in relation to all-hazards and risks to children and staff in the education sector. The focus is on developing anticipatory, absorptive, adaptive, and transformative capacities for resilience through meaningful participation of and accountability to affected populations.
Pillar 3: Risk reduction and resilience education
Risk reduction and resilience education focuses on those measures aimed at creating content, processes and learning opportunities for children, staff and school communities (including parents) to develop individual and community level resilience in relation to the risks they face. This includes disaster risk management, climate change, health promotion and pandemics, child protection, violence and conflict prevention, conflict resolution, strengthening social cohesion, and psychosocial well-being.
