Community Policing Coordinator at Monkey Bay Police, Sub lnspector Masautso Katemera, has called on primary school headteachers and deputies to ensure that learners are protected from all forms of violence in schools.
Katemera made the call at Monkey Bay Primary School where the police discussed how to implement Safe School Initiative with 13 schools within Monkey Bay education zone.
Sub lnspector Katemera said the initiative is meant to ensure protection of learners from corporal punishment, bullying and other forms of violence on their way to school or back from school and in most cases within school premises.
He said the Police introduced complaints and feedback mechanism by placing boxes in schools to allow learners drop in their complaints in case they encounter of any form of violence.
The Community Policing Coordinator was quick to assure school heads that the Safe School lnitiative is only meant to protect learners from all forms of violence.
“Safe School lnitiative is only meant to promote child education and not a tool to cause panic or fear among teachers,” he assured the head teachers.
Sub lnspector Katemera called on School Management Committees to ensure that the learners drop their complaints in boxes without any interferences.
“We placed complaints boxes in all the 13 school in Monkey Bay zone but we discover that only learners from 9 schools drop in their complaints'” he added.
Victim Support Unit Coordinator at Monkey Bay Police, Sub lnspector, Catherine Phiri observed that learners drop out of school whenever they are subjected to violence at school, on their way or back from school.
She said the Police introduced the Safe School Initiative and complaints and feedback mechanism to ensure child protection and create conducive learning environment.
To make Safe School Initiative effective, Sub lnspector Phiri called on schools to make use of complaints boxes for the benefit of child protection and education
Primary Education Advisor (PEA) for Monkey Bay zone, Ruth Mithi hailed Monkey Bay Police for introducing Safe School Initiative saying the programme is child protection tool .
She therefore called on school heads to ensure that safe school initiative is implemented in their respective schools for the sake of child quality education.
“Discuss this initiative with teachers in your schools,” the Primary Education Advisor called on the school heads and deputies that attended the meeting at Monkey Bay Primary School.
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