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Session 1Creating Safer Schools: Lessons Learned; Strategies for ActionSession 1:Conceptualizing safer schools:What makes schools unsafe?“We aretalking aboutschools wherechildrendo not feelcomfortable,and thiscovers a bigspectrum:physicalcomfort,mentalcomfort, placeswhere they feelthreatened orvulnerable.”Dr. Deborah KasenteKey objective: Recognition of a variety of issues that contribute tochildren’s experience of school as an unsafe place.Methodology: Dr. Sharon Rustemier, Research Coordinator forThe Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children,acted as an overall coordinator of the collective reflection inthis session while Dr. Deborah Kasente, professor at MakerereUniversity in Uganda, and Dr. Susan Nkinyangi, senior educationadvisor, UNESCO-Nairobi, were each asked to take a fewmoments to make brief remarks. The group then picked up thediscussion as a response to, or building on, these comments.Context: The reflection began with an overarching theme; what isthe reality behind the experience of schools that make them unsafe?Access to school has dominated recent dialogue, and success isoften measured in terms of enrollment numbers. However, as theattention shifts from enrollment to retention numbers, pertinentquestions are beginning to emerge regarding the nature ofchildren’s experience at school. What is it about the experienceof school that makes many children abandon this highly covetedopportunity? What is the reality that demoralizes children frompersisting at school when their entire future depends on it?Dr. Deborah Kasente focused her remarks on three issues. Firstly,the school environment is in a progressive state of dilapidation thatsends out profound psychological messages to children regardingtheir value.“We are talking about schools where children do not feelcomfortable, and this covers a big spectrum: physical comfort,mental comfort, places were they feel threatened or vulnerable.Where they don’t have their basic requirements met. The walls havenever been painted, and are bare and devoid of color. If childrenare thirsty, there is no clean water to drink. They are dreading goingto the toilet because it is filthy.”