• CHILD PROTECTION & SAFEGUARDING: This is a human right issue for children of school ages. Children are vulnerable and should be protected from harm, abuse, exploitations and ignorance. Hence the need for proper regulations of education and learning personnel to uncover those who are unsuitable due to certain reasons such as history of mental illness, past unsafe behaviours and attitudes that may constitute risks to young children, thus disqualify them to be around school children
• PROLIFERATION OF SUBSTANDARD AND DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS: The harm caused by such products is usually slow and may not be visible immediately, but may result in permanent disability or serious negative effects as the children develop. for example exposure to uncontrolled level of noise may result in permanent loss of hearing in adolescent stage. It is under the purview of the LSC not only to protect from immediate harm, but to prevent future harm and ensure that providers and school owners put in place measures to minimise risks of exposing children to products, services or environment that may compromise their safety now, in the immediate future or long time. As Africa is a dumping ground for cheap sub-standard and fake products, it is not uncommon to see many education and learning practitioners patronising cheap goods and services for optimal profitability, not necessarily because they intend to harm their pupils. In order to stop those goods from getting into our schools and causing harm either immediately or in the future, effective regulation is essential.

• ENSURING STAFF HAVE THE RIGHT QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE FOR THE ROLES THEY OCCUPY IN SCHOOLS: Incompetent and ignorant staff are not just bad for business, but they constitute a risk to themselves and those in their immediate environment. There is a need to ensure that school workforce are qualified, knowledgeable and experienced for the range of responsibilities delegated onto them to carry out on a day to day basis. Most incidents in schools bordering on safety issues can be avoided if staff on duty were experienced, capable and knowledgeable. School Owners must ensure that their workforce have approved qualifications, are knowledgeable and safety accustomed to respond to emergency situations and take pragmatic steps to minimise risks in the environment. The onus is on the management to prove that they have carried out the necessary references and background checks, given their workforce necessary and mandatory school safety training, professional development to carry out all the duties assigned to them. The LSC has put in place a safe recruitment database to support the efforts of school owners and education sector employers. Schools must avail themselves of this service through the SSLAG

• TRANSIT AND STUDENT/PUPIL TRANSPORT SYSTEM: There is a high increase in accidents involving school children in minibuses and other forms of school transit vehicles. It is essential to regulate this aspect of education to ensure the activities invoked in transporting children to and from schools or educational trips are conducted safely. The type of vehicles, maintenance conditions; transit teams qualifications and conduct must be strictly regulated to protect school children from the adherent risks and negligence or staff errors.

• INSURANCE: there is a need to ensure that education and learning establishments are adequately covering their activities, resources and people. Most especially in private schools where the bottom line is profitability, cutting corners must be discouraged. However, the Insurance plan must offer value added services for school safety compliance and not just a way to increase the schools investment exposure.

• Others include Technology safety, consumption of safe food and drinks; protection from radicalisation, mental health well-being and so on

In a nutshell, there are lots of reasons to regulate and recommend approved products and services which have been verified and approved as safe or child friendly by the SSA. These products and services must promote safety culture and compliance in our schools.

For SSA VENDORS STARTER APPLICATION PACK contact [email protected] or the SSLAG Team / Portal OR The SSA office  (Partners for education, PIE) for information about completing this form.