Download PDF - Raising Voices

SessionSession416. School environment. The physical aswell as the psychological environmentof a school clearly sets the tone ofa child’s experience of education.The environment in which anindividual is immersed determines theconscious and many subconscious‘messages’ a child imbibes. Eachindividual assesses their worth inany environment by asking how itprioritizes their needs; how it makesthem feel about themselves, whatpsychological climate it fosters in theirmind. Are their basic needs such asadequate sanitation provided for?Creating Safer Schools: Lessons Learned; Strategies for ActionIs the environment one that inducespride in the school? Are the wallsbare and what does that say aboutthe faculty of imagination withinthat school? In a safe school, theenvironment is safe and conducive tocreative learning.It was agreed that each of these componentsneed further analysis and reflection. “Outsideof this room, and in our own environments,we can take this forward,” Dipak Naker said.“But these are the guiding ideas. They openup paths, and we all have to walk along thepaths ourselves. But we are agreeing thatthis begins to create a picture in our mind ofwhat we mean by a safer school.”Key take-away points:1. We must have a clear idea of what a safer school isand how it relates to the quality of education. Learningoutcomes shouldn’t be measured solely in the formof exam scores, but also what capabilities a studentdevelops during the learning process.2. The quality of education experience matters because welearn our values and our place in the world through theexperience. If a child feels insecure, unhappy, threatened,she will not develop the capabilities she needs to be ableto thrive in her environment.3. A safe school is a school that has a clear purpose andbasic standards, where students, teachers and parentshave a voice, where the student/teacher relationship isbased on mutual respect, where there is accountabilityand responsiveness and where there is a safe learningenvironment.25