The Editor, Sir:

The Ministry of Education welcomes and encourages the interest in education shown by Mrs Marva Hewitt-Heaven, which she expressed in The Gleaner on March 12.

The ministry and education officials share her concern at the recent accidental death of two children, one at school and the other while learning to swim.

We agree that every parent should be concerned about the issues of health and safety at schools and the capability of school administrators to supervise properly off-school activities.

We also agree that children are among the vulnerable groups in our society whose dependence relies on those in authority taking the necessary care to eliminate or reduce any risks.

It is exactly for these reasons that the Ministry of Education has developed and distributed to all high schools four manuals on safety and security. The manuals are to be distributed to other schools shortly.

The ministry believes that school leaders must understand and treat security and safety as a management function, in much the same way they treat the curriculum-related functions, accounting function, or administrative function.

Day-to-day security

Principals are the chief security and safety officer of schools. They are responsible for planning and administering the day-to-day security and safety arrangements at schools within the policy framework laid down by the boards of management. School boards are in turn responsible to the education minister for ensuring that effective policies, pro-grammes and measures are developed and successfully implemented for the safety and welfare of students, staff and school.

Principals are directed to engage students in security and safety campaigns in schools. The campaigns should encourage students to be proactive about their own security and safety, to be alert and observant and to relay information about security and safety risks to school personnel.

The ministry has directed principals to establish and maintain a good working relationship and collaborate with all national and local government agencies that can assist schools with security and safety issues.

Qualified teachers and coaches

The education ministry's concern for students extends to the sporting arena. The ministry says all schools and other institutions offering sporting programme should employ trained and qualified teachers of physical education, as well as trained and qualified coaches.

Grouping of students during physical education activities should be based on age-appropriate activities, as well as consideration of skill and maturity level. Institutions should ensure that minimum standards are met as prescribed by the sports governing bodies.

All participants should have medical clearance to participate and this clearance should be reaffirmed on an ongoing basis.

Parents must give their consent for participants in sporting activities under 18 and students must be supervised at all times while under the case of the school.

This is just to give an overview of the Ministry of Education's initiative to make our schools safer. There are other elements to the programme, including measures to deal with violence and potential violence at schools.

I am, etc.,

Colin Blair

Director, Communications

Ministry of Education