PTA AND SMC MEMBERS OF SCHOOLS IN KIBIITO TOWN COUNCIL PROMISE TO PROMOTE A SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT.

 

One-day training on safe school environment was carried out with 24 members of SMC and PTA from the 12 schools in Kibiito town council that RIC-NET is working with. It was in this training that these members promised to join hands with the teachers and the headteachers to create a safe school environment.

From the training it was learned that there are gaps in the implementation of schools policies, where the stakeholders do not communicate the same language, schools rules and regulations need to be reviewed to suit the current government policy of discipline and as an alternative to punishment, the school rules and policies can be communicated to the parents the learners and the community, learners’ behaviors are shaped by the homes where they come from. The managers realized that children have been left to the teachers and that is why these days as a result of the covid19 pandemic, the parents are complaining of poor behavior and high rate of teenage pregnancies, positive discipline shape behavior, educates the person as a whole, promote social responsibility, and generate learning among the learners.The challenge in the schools is about mindset change amongst all the stakeholders the managers, the local leaders can work on mindset change by sensitizing the key stakeholders to adopt the changes in the learning process and the state of ownership is lacking among the managers and the parents, managers are there just to fill the posts as per government requirement to have PTA and management committees in schools and there is the need to improve the relationship between the schools and local government in the implementation of policies, regulations, and suggestions the parents put in place to create and improve a safe schools environment. These included for example policies in regards to midday meals, support to the infrastructure development where parents agree to contribute. Local leaders and security need to understand that communities have a responsibility to define their schools.

It was agreed from the training that these committees should review the school rules and regulations to suit the current learning environment in the schools, sensitize the parents on mindset changes to continue supporting the schools and her policies, support the infrastructure development in the schools to create better classroom environment suitable for learning.

Continuous monitoring and supervision of the school to ensure the teachers are in schools and performing their roles and duties as provided for in the teacher code of conduct, to create and adopt the lunch policy and disseminate it to all the stakeholders before its full implementation and that there should be shared decision making and implementation plan of the decision reached.  This is a result of interference by the politicians in decisions reached in schools.

Continuous community and parent’s sensitization on the rights and responsibilities of; parents, teachers, and the learners in the schools. Management should not be excluded from this and the purpose is to change the mindset.Creation of the motivation plan for the teaching and non-teaching staff in the schools to improve retention in school for the teachers and improve their performance, adaptations of measures that can help the community come out of poverty like supporting the community with skill development as well as proper use of government programs.

 

And finally it was agreed that the district should set a certain level of excellence the inspector can follow to ensure the schools comply with.