The Ministry of Education and Training has embarked on a programme to protect learners from violence through the Safe and Inclusive Schools intervention, which is being implemented in 300 targeted primary schools across the country.
The programme is being supported by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and UNICEF Lesotho.
The intervention is expected to benefit all 52,695 learners enrolled in the targeted schools by strengthening systems for preventing, identifying, reporting and responding to violence.
In a statement this week, the ministry noted that the initiative aims to promote positive and non-violent discipline, improve links between schools and child protection services, and give children greater opportunities to participate in decisions concerning their safety and wellbeing.
Under the programme, teachers, principals and other school personnel will receive practical guidance on identifying and responding to physical, sexual and emotional violence. They will also be trained on positive discipline and established case-management procedures.
School boards will receive support to better understand their safeguarding responsibilities, while child protection committees and child clubs will be established or reactivated to encourage peer dialogue and children’s participation.
Schools will also be supported to establish accessible and child-friendly channels for reporting violence and to align referral procedures with existing national child protection mechanisms.
Learners, parents, families and communities will receive information on how to prevent and report violence and where to seek assistance, including through Child Helpline 116.
As part of the intervention, the Ministry of Education and Training will develop and distribute Zero-Tolerance Policy Guidelines on Violence Against Children in Schools.
The ministry said the guidelines are expected to clarify standards of conduct and strengthen accountability across the education system.
Through the Safe and Inclusive Schools programme, authorities aim to create safer learning environments in the targeted primary schools while strengthening systems that protect children from violence.
