The department in collaboration with UNICEF will officially launch of Safe and Caring Child Friendly Schools in an event scheduled as follows:
Date: 30 August 2013 (Friday)
Time: 9h00
Venue: Greendale Combined School, Emalahleni Municipality
Creating Safe and Caring Child Friendly Schools is a collaboration aimed at supporting all children to complete the cycle of basic education, that is relevant and of good quality.
It also seeks to ensure that needy learners benefit from regular and nutritious meals at school, clean water, and transport to school where there is a need and adequate sanitation for both girls and boys.
It transforms schools to be in a position to monitor and facilitate children’s access to health services including first aid, monitoring of growth and development, immunisation, regular de-worming, and paediatric AIDS treatment where needed.
Schools are made to offer protection from all forms of abuse and violence to all children, and especially girls, and facilitate school-community initiatives that promote safety and security for all children.
It promotes life-skills education focusing not only on HIV prevention, but also on citizenship, empathy for others, gender awareness and sensitivity, and on empowering children with livelihood skills.
It renders psycho-social support in schools and within the community to instil in children a sense of connectedness, ensuring that there is a caring adult in every child’s life, and that children can have access to counselling services.
The programme takes into account that some children’s circumstances deny them basic material needs and that schools must work with their community and other institutions to ensure those needs are catered for, including clothing, toiletries, stationery, and the direct and indirect costs of education.
“Through this programme we wish that schools should to take on new roles as service delivery sites, and to mainstream care and support for children”, MEC for Education.
The media is invited.
For more information contact:
Jasper Zwane
Cell: 083 743 1804
E-mail: j.zwane@education.mpu.gov.za
Mandisa Ndlovu
Communication Officer: Media Liaison and Monitoring
Tel: 013 766 5500
Fax: 013 766 5518
Cell: 079 695 6073
E-mail: m.ndlovu@education.mpu.gov.za
