Fifteen trained safety agents are already working across nine primary schools as the Ministry of Education moves to test whether the initiative can now be successfully adapted to Antigua and Barbuda’s secondary school environment.

Two secondary schools have been selected for a pilot of the Model Safe School Programme (MSSP) this month, representing the programme’s first move into secondary education since it was launched in May 2018.

Rolston Nickeo, Education Officer for Schools Administration and Focal Point for Safe Schools, said the programme is designed to create school environments where potential risks are identified and addressed before they develop into emergencies.

Speaking on Observer Radio, Nickeo explained that the initiative is built around four main areas: identifying risks and hazards, improving school safety and preparedness, protecting students and staff, and strengthening school infrastructure.

“In simple terms, I would say the Model Safe School Programme is about moving our schools from simply responding to emergencies to proactively identifying risk, reducing those risks, and preparing people and systems, and creating a culture of safety and resilience in our school system,” he said.

The approach represents a shift from schools primarily responding to incidents after they occur to putting systems in place to prevent or reduce risks beforehand.

Although the programme covers institutions from the pre-school to secondary level, much of its implementation to date has focused on public primary schools. Some private institutions have also participated.

The introduction of the programme at two secondary schools will now allow education officials to assess how the existing model can work among older students.

Nickeo stressed that the MSSP extends beyond simply placing safety agents on school compounds.

The agents are not teachers or traditional security officers. Instead, their role combines monitoring school environments for potential hazards with direct interaction with students.

They patrol compounds to identify safety concerns and work with students to help prevent disagreements and other situations from escalating into more serious conflicts.

When the safety agent initiative began last October, those selected underwent two weeks of induction training in areas including conflict resolution, child protection, incident report writing and certified first aid.

Nickeo said the wider objective is to make safety and preparedness part of the everyday culture within schools rather than something addressed only when an emergency occurs.

The secondary school pilot will provide the Ministry with an opportunity to determine how that approach can be expanded as it works to build safer and more resilient schools across the country.

This story was adapted from original reporting by Kisean Joseph of the Antigua Observer by NewsCo.