Improving safety skills at school

The water safety propaganda has just held at Cam Nghia 1 Primary School (Cam Ranh City) with an opening acting themed "unforgettable experience and valuable lessons" performed by 5th graders, giving a warning of child drownings.

Besides, safety-themed multiple-choice questions were given to pupils to answer. Medical staff also informed children of some recent drowning and abuse cases and raised their awareness of safety knowledge and skills.

Children at Cam Nghia 1 Primary School learn how to use fire extinguishers.

According to Bui Thi Xuan Linh, Vice-Principal of Cam Nghia 1 Primary School, the school safety education is committed to keeping children safe from risks, accidents and injuries. The knowledge is integrated into the subject of life skills education, other subjects and during flag meetings and extracurricular activities. Since the beginning of the academic year, the school has also organized propaganda on traffic order and safety; and provided training to improve fire safety awareness and skills for teachers and pupils.

Tan Lap 1 Primary School (Nha Trang City) has recently organized propaganda sessions on self-defense; fire and explosion prevention and control; how to escape from danger and get help when there is a fire together with efforts to keep a smoke-free environment and safeguard children from abuse risks. Besides, to provide a safe school environment, tree pruning before the rainy season is maintained along with traffic safety solutions at school gates.

According to Nguyen Duc Son, Deputy Director of the Department of Education and Training, developing safe schools, preventing children from accidents, injuries and drowning is the priority to meet educational quality accreditation and national standards.

Every year, the department directs schools to focus on safety tasks to raise students' safety awareness and skills; self-protection skills together with tactics to safeguard children from addictive substances

Under the Minister of Education and Training’s direction, the Department of Education and Training has requested departments of Education and Training and its affiliations to strengthen solutions to ensure school safety. Accordingly, safety checks are required at school, including making sure that all facilities and infrastructures are safe and that any repairs and renovations needed are promptly made.

Schools are asked to recognize the need for an emergency preparedness and response capability; equipping students with skills to be safe from fire hazards, accidents and injuries, social evils, and school violence; strengthening safety inspection and supervision at school science laboratories and boarding areas which are at high risk of fires, explosions, etc.; ensuring food safety and prevent exposure to food poisoning and addictive substances.

The Ministry of Education & Training has just promulgated Circular 18, which takes effect as of December 12 on developing safe schools, defining safety criteria based on which departments of education and training and its affiliations conduct safe school inspections.

H.N

Translated by N.T