To ensure continuity of education, UNICEF is developing the Safe School programme.
The Safe School programme was developed in several countries before being implemented by UNICEF to support Burkina Faso’s Ministry of Education. The programme addresses areas affected by insecurity and was developed with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Danish International Development Agency and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The latest data from the national Ministry of Education shows that there were 2,527 closed schools in Burkina Faso, of which 13.36 per cent were pre-school, primary, post-primary and secondary schools, which affected 352,085 pupils and 11,283 teachers. Since 2017, in response to the concerns of Burkinabe families and education personnel about the deteriorating security situation, UNICEF has implemented the Safe School programme in conjunction with the NGO Humanity and Inclusion (HI), which specializes in providing psychosocial services, and with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). In a survey published by CONASUR on 12 February, 92 per cent of households surveyed identified safety in schools as the primary need regarding access to education.
The Safe School programme, which is designed to cover all areas affected by insecurity and violence, consists of psychosocial care for children and teaching staff, risk reduction and a radio education programme for children living in inaccessible areas to build the resilience of schools and communities. It targets 4,400 schools, over 900,000 children and over 10,000 teachers.
One aspect of the programme is teaching students and teachers how to protect themselves in the event of an attack. These simulations help to develop good reflexes. “As soon as we hear the whistle, we close the shutters and hide,” explains 12-year-old Adama, who fled his village as a result of the violence. These school-based exercises help them develop good reflexes which they can use in the event of an attack. Psychological support for traumatized children is also part of the programme, along with teacher training.
For these children, school represents a sanctuary, a space that offers a semblance of normality and peace, and one which is appropriate for their age. One of the Safe School programme’s objectives is to: prevent insecurity, both by learning to evacuate the school in dangerous situations, but also knowing how to manage stress and identify traumatized children.
In Adama’s school, the Director welcomed the training. He had not been prepared for dealing with displaced children, or seeing his country becoming increasingly insecure:
“We don’t know how to react to a father crying in front of us. Some children are so traumatized that they don’t dare return to school. And as educators, it’s our duty to convince them to come back. “
In 2017, an initial assessment of the mental state of 583 teachers revealed that more than 80 per cent were suffering from mental health issues and symptoms of distress that could significantly affect the quality of their work. The head of the school continues,
“We grew up in a peaceful country. We never heard gunfire. And then look what happened.”
The innovative approach taken by the programme has been introduced to ensure that children who are in inaccessible areas and who are unable to attend school, still have access to education.
UNICEF supports the programme which provides radio-based lessons and basic information to children who cannot attend school. 14-year-old Hussaini benefits from these lessons. He remembers: “we were in the classroom when we heard shots fired. I was afraid. We could hear people crying, children were running, and the teachers started to run too. They killed the teachers and burned down the classrooms.”
“I want to have peace again, so that children can go back to school.”
Even before the security crisis, school enrolment rates in the regions bordering Mali and Niger were among the lowest in the country, and these regions had the highest risk of school failure. A study carried out in different regions of Burkina Faso reveals that, compared to children in the Central region, children in the Sahel and Eastern regions, are six and four times more likely, respectively, to be outside of the education system.
The study also indicates that children in the Hauts Bassin, Boucle du Mouhoun, North Central, South-West and Cascades regions, are all a little more than twice as likely to be out of the education system as children in the Central region. Poor school infrastructure, a lack of teachers and the opening of gold panning sites in these regions, especially in the Sahel and Eastern regions, explain the tendency for children to remain outside the education system.
Moreover, children and young people in the regions bordering Mali and Niger, who have not had access to education or literacy training and who lack job prospects, are potentially more vulnerable to recruitment by non-State armed groups.
The Safe School programme is a continuation of the actions already undertaken in 2017 in relation to the United Nations Strategy for the Sahel. These include Security Council resolution 2282 (2016) and General Assembly resolution 20/162 of 27 April 2016 to maintain peace in Burkina Faso.
The programme was partly financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Danish International Development Agency and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation.
