Behavior Profile: Teachers Create a Safe School Environment| Democracy and Governance Goal: Reduce school-related gender-based violence | ||
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Teachers create a safe environment for learners and staff % of learners who report feeling safe and secure at school
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Behavior Analysis |
Strategy | ||
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BEHAVIOR AND STEPSWhat steps are needed to practice this behavior?Teachers create a safe environment for learners and staff
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FACTORSWhat factors may prevent or support practice of this behavior?StructuralService Experience: Teachers cannot create a safe environment for learners and staff because they have no support (moral, resources, etc.) from the Education Department or school management. Service Experience: Teachers cannot create a safe environment for learners and staff because school management doesn’t enforce codes of conduct or uphold GBV/child protection laws (e.g. clarifying reporting requirements and processes, disciplining perpetrators of aggressive behavior in and outside the classroom, etc.) SocialNorms: Teachers do not create a safe environment for learners and staff because corporal punishment, verbal abuse of learners, drinking with learners, sexual abuse of girls by male teachers, homophobic behavior and other transgressions by educators continue to be accepted in most schools Norms: Teachers do not create a safe environment for learners and staff because certain types of violence and sexual harassment are accepted as normal child or adolescent behavior in the classroom and on the playground InternalAttitudes and Beliefs: Teachers do not create a safe environment for learners and staff because their discomfort or negative attitudes related to class, race, sexuality, gender diversity, etc. prevent them from creating an environment that is safe for diverse learners Attitudes and Beliefs: Teachers do not create a safe environment for learners and staff because they feel that the promotion of human rights (and lack of commensurate emphasis on responsibilities) is unbalanced, giving learners more rights than teachers and leading to disrespect, victimization, retaliation, intimidation etc. of educators. Self-Efficacy: Teachers cannot create a safe environment for learners and staff because they feel incapable of appropriately addressing blatant disrespect and aggressive behavior from learners and outsiders Knowledge: Teachers do not create a safe environment for learners and staff because they don’t recognize the playground and other communal school spaces as places where roots of violence (e.g., prejudice, gendering, bullying, homophobia) are nurtured |
SUPPORTING ACTORS AND ACTIONSWho must support the practice of this behavior, and what actions must they take?InstitutionalDistrict Education Department: Clarify responsibility of teachers regarding monitoring playground and communal spaces District Education Department: Facilitate training of educators and learners on legislation covering GBV, child protection laws, sexual harassment regardless of age, what constitutes violence, how to assess whether a child has been violated, comprehensive sexuality and health rights education, etc. District Education Department: Provide information and guidance for educators to carry out their assigned functions in their schools District Psychosocial Services: Provide training to teachers on sexual harassment regardless of age, what constitutes violence, how to assess whether a child has been violated, etc. School Governing Bodies (SGBs): Enforce school code of conduct and GBV/child protection laws directly and through principal, school management team, school based support team, and disciplinary committees School Governing Bodies (SGBs): Collaborate with Education Department to implement safety-related improvements Human Rights and Gender Equality Commission: Investigate and address human rights violations reported by educators, support staff and learners Human Rights and Gender Equality Commission: Promote human rights and gender equality in schools, with emphasis on supporting educators to teach and model respect of both Council of Educators: Create a register of educators that have been found guilty of SGRBV. Council of Educators: Monitor and discipline educators accused or found guilty of SRGBV, including de-registering educators found guilty of SGRBV. Health Department: Facilitate comprehensive sexuality and health education for educators School Management Teams (SMTs): Report all incidences of Level 3 (sexual harassment) and Level 4 (“persistent harassment despite previous corrective measures, public indecency, sexual assault and rapeâ€) cases to the District Psychosocial Support Services of the or Police Services. School Management Teams (SMTs): Consistently and fairly enforce school codes of conduct and related school policies, including corrective and restorative measures and reporting Department of Justice: Investigate and prosecute criminal acts by teachers, support staff, learners, and administrators CommunityCommunity-Based Organizations (CBOs): Partner with organisations that provide support in order to refer school members affected by SRGBV to those organisations. HouseholdParents/Guardians: Work hand-in-hand with School Management and teachers to enforce code of conduct (e.g., setting expectations, reminding children about how to behave, consequences including positive discipline, seeking professional help for children with behavioral issues, etc.) |
POSSIBLE PROGRAM STRATEGIESWhat strategies will best focus our efforts based on this analysis?Strategy requires Communication Support Enabling EnvironmentPartnerships and Networks: Monitor and feedback on school referral processes. Systems, Products and ServicesQuality Improvement: Participate in school safety audit processes involving educators, support staff, and learners Quality Improvement: Facilitate or provide technical support and materials to school activities to raise awareness about playground and communal space safety and to assist teachers to recognize the importance of and improve safety on the playground and how to deal with it Quality Improvement: In conjunction with District Psychosocial Support Services unit or other subject authorities, hold sessions with teachers and parents on importance of addressing class, race, gender, violence and discrimination to create a safe environment for all learners in and outside the classroom Demand and UseAdvocacy: Monitor and feedback to the school governing bodies on the implementation of GBV/child protection laws, school policies and codes of conduct. Advocacy: Ensure that human rights instruments are simplified, translated and actively disseminated to schools, governing bodies and key stakeholders as part of advocacy, support and training initiatives Advocacy: Engage local stakeholders to submit complaints to relevant oversight mechanisms when cases of SRGBV are not being adequately investigated Communication: Distribute materials on school safety with the school community and hold school discussions on how the information in the materials applies to them. Communication: Distribute referral site cards and raise awareness of the roles of the different service providers Collective Engagement: Hold a playground (and communal space) observation day that involves observation and discussion about what they see, what it means, and what they can do about it Skills Building: Include in quarterly school meetings participatory information sharing and empowerment activities to assist teachers to deal with disrespect and aggressive behavior within the bounds of the code of conduct, GBV/child protection laws, and on other topics based on identified teacher needs Skills Building: With the Departments of Health and Education, conduct sexuality and health rights workshops for teachers |
The Manoff Group was acquired by JSI in 2022.