Child Friendly Schools - Concept & Importance

èCHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOLS – CONCEPT AND IMPORTANCE:

A child-friendly school and learning environment refers to an educational setting that prioritizes the well-being, safety, and holistic development of children. It encompasses various elements, including physical infrastructure, teaching methods, curriculum design, supportive policies and creating a positive, inclusive, and engaging atmosphere.

vESSENTIAL ASPECTS OF CHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT:

♦  Holistic development:

›  Nurturing all aspects of a child's development, including cognitive, emotional, social, and physical growth.

›  Providing well-rounded education that goes beyond academics, encouraging creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and life skills.

♦  Inclusivity and diversity:

›Creating an inclusive environment that celebrates differences, promotes tolerance, and discourages discrimination.

›  Embrace diversity - ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, abilities, or characteristics, has equal opportunities to learn and thrive.

♦  Safe and secure environment:

›  Prioritizing the safety and security of students by maintaining appropriate infrastructure, implement safety protocols, and ensure proper supervision to protect children from physical, psychological harm, bullying, violence, and abuse.

♦  Engaging and participatory learning:

›  Encouraging child-centred teaching methods to make learning enjoyable and meaningful.

›Enabling active participation, hands-on activities, group work, and interactive discussions to foster curiosity, exploration, and independent thinking.

♦  Supportive relationships:

›  Fostering positive and supportive relationships among students, teachers, parents, and the wider community and encouraging open communication, collaboration, and mutual respect.

›  Teachers act as mentors and facilitators, guiding students' learning journeys and providing emotional support when needed.

♦  Health and well being:

› Promoting healthy habits, provide nutritious meals, clean water and sanitation facilities, and ensure physical activities and mental health support and counselling services.

♦  Child participation and empowerment:

›Involving children in decision-making processes, providing platforms for expressing opinions and ideas.

♦  Parent and community involvement:

›Establishing strong partnerships, encourage parental involvement in school activities, and seek community support to enrich the learning experiences of children

v KEY PRINCIPLES FORMING THE BASIS OF CHILD FRIENDLY SCHOOLS:

Child friendly schools are based on the following four key principles

♦  Child centeredness

♦  Democratic participation

♦  Inclusiveness

♦  Protective & healthy environment

v Checklist to consider when designing a child friendly classroom:

♦  Safety

♦  Comfort

♦  Organisation

♦  Flexibility

♦  Engagement

♦  Technology

♦  Sensory consideration

♦  Inclusivity

♦  Classroom management

♦  Personalization …..

v    Indicators to assess if a school is child friendly:

♦  Safe and secure environment

♦  Inclusive and accessible education

♦  Health and well being

♦  Child participation

♦  Positive and supportive relationship

♦  Quality teaching and learning

♦  Child protection

♦  Emotional and social support

♦  Community engagement

♦  Continuous improvement

vIMPORTANCE OF CHILD FRIENDLY                  SCHOOLS:

♦  They ensure inclusive enrolment and equal treatment of all school age children in safe, healthy, protective and positive environment.

♦  They promote learning and acquisition of knowledge capacities and attitudes through relevant curriculum and effective teaching and learning.

♦  The strive for Democratic participation of all students, teachers, families and the local societies making the school a harmonious learning community with strong leadership from school managers.

♦  Child friendly learning is recognised globally as the key to delivering quality basic education to all children.

♦  Child friendly equitable and quality basic education helps all round development of children in terms of physical, moral, social, emotional and intellectual well-being.

Overall, child-friendly schools lay the foundation for lifelong learning, help build positive attitudes towards education, and equip children with the skills, knowledge, and values necessary to become responsible and productive members of society.