Education plays a pivotal role in shaping children’s futures and building human capital.

Schools should be safe and nurturing environments where children can learn and thrive. Unfortunately, this ideal is far from reality. In many schools, children face harm and abuse from teachers, staff and fellow students.

Violence in schools is a serious issue across Africa. Nearly a third of children on the continent experience physical or sexual attacks in educational settings. Children, and girls in particular, are at high risk of sexual violence at school, including the most egregious types of sexual violence. And as access to technology increases, so does the risk of online bullying and abuse.

As African leaders, none of us would accept this for our own children and we must not tolerate it for any child. Indeed, our efforts to increase school enrollment, learning and gender equality will be futile if children are not safe in school.

Institutionalizing an end to violence

Alongside fellow ministers of education from other African countries, earlier this year, we signed a declaration committing to ending violence in schools, including gender-based violence.

We took this step because violence not only harms children, but also impedes learning, damages health and development, and limits the potential of individuals, communities and nations.

But there is reason to be hopeful. The declaration was signed by several countries, and we aim to enlist many more leaders.

A range of promising interventions along with clear signs of progress in our own countries bolster our confidence that we can tackle this pressing challenge:

• In Sierra Leone, for example, a systemic approach to preventing violence coupled with a radical inclusion policy in education is paving the way for safer schools. Corporal punishment has been banned, and a dedicated gender-based violence unit has been set up to monitor incidents.
• Malawi's strong stance against school violence has led to community and government actions to combat sexual violence against girls and boys.
• And in Tanzania, child protection desks have been set up in schools as part of a national school safety program to improve the quality, inclusiveness and safety of learning.

Committing to collaboration across stakeholders

Moving forward, we will collaborate with leaders across Africa and beyond to achieve our goal of eradicating school violence. We seek to engage teacher unions to help educators recognize and address violence against children. We urge donors to prioritize these efforts in their education programs.

We also call on researchers to support us with better data and evidence on the problem and its solutions; and on nongovernmental and community organizations to innovate with us and drive progress.

As President Kikwete wisely noted, education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its future.

Our leaders must safeguard this investment by ensuring that every child, everywhere, is protected from violence and can learn in safety.

The Declaration is a significant step forward, but much more remains to be done. We are committed to making schools safe and giving every child the opportunity to learn and thrive.