It is impossible to overstate the importance of education.

Education unlocks opportunities, setting the foundation for economic, personal and social success. Above all, education is life saving.

But delivering education is not without its challenges—high among them, the safety and resilience of students, educators and the system itself. Countries can and should tackle this challenge head on by implementing a comprehensive approach to school safety.

But how many countries are doing this and in which ways?

This is the question we’re trying to answer through the Comprehensive School Safety Policy Survey—an ambitious but essential new project from the Global Alliance for Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience in the Education Sector (GADRRRES) supported by Prudence Foundation.

Why does school safety matter?

Every child has the right to a quality education. Yet in 2022/23, an average of 8 attacks on education were recorded daily.

Right now, 224 million children affected by crisis are in urgent need of education support. And as we look ahead, 1 billion children live in countries at extremely high risk to the climate crisis.

Behind these numbers are real children with real rights, real dreams and real futures.

Education is also a powerful force for positive change. Investments in resilient schools and education systems can reduce climate risks for 275 million children. Education promotes peaceful societies and economic prosperity. It is the foundation for the future of children, families and communities.

Whatever the threat, governments and organizations can and must take action to mitigate risks, support education continuity and harness the power of learning. And comprehensive school safety offers a structured approach to system resilience.

What can countries do to support school safety?

Countries can endorse and implement the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF).

The CSSF is a tried and tested approach to responding to hazards in the education sector. It is built on 3 pillars (safer learning facilities, school safety and educational continuity management, risk reduction and resilience education) and a foundational component (child rights and resilience in the education sector) that when combined support an all-hazards approach to education systems’ resilience:

The importance of the CSSF has been recognized by key GADRRRES partners including GPE that highlighted the CSSF in their framework for climate-smart education systems as a tool to promote planning for safe and continuous education in the face of the climate crisis.

To date, over 70 countries have endorsed the CSSF and it has already proven effective in countries like the Philippines where components of a Comprehensive School Safety Assessment Suite (CSSAS) have now been rolled out to all 47,000 schools nationwide. Data collected has been used to inform school safety, community resilience and post-disaster planning.

Countries can further demonstrate their support for comprehensive school safety by taking part in GADRRRES’ policy survey.

What is the comprehensive school safety policy survey?

GADRRRES is launching a policy survey to understand which countries are implementing comprehensive school safety and how. The data collected through the survey will help to:

• Strengthen country coordination on disaster risk reduction
• Propose practical opportunities for system strengthening
• Highlight best practices
• Identify gaps in national, regional and global policy and practice
• Inform further advocacy and research on this crucial topic.

The time to act is now.

GADRRRES encourages all countries to take part in the survey and partners around the world to support these efforts. Together, let’s ensure school safety is given the priority it deserves.

The clock is ticking

It is inevitable that education systems will encounter crises. However, it is within our control to minimize the potential adverse impacts on children’s learning.

Countries should recognize and respond to the power of education by protecting their systems from anticipated shocks. The CSSF is one practical solution to building resilience, and the policy survey is a critical step in the process.

GADRRRES encourages every country to get started today.