Safe Schools Contract

This is a contract that was on display in schools in Arua, Uganda. Discussions between UPHOLD staff and students, their families, and educators revealed the linkages between staying in school and avoiding pregnancy and HIV, and that a child’s ability and desire to remain in school is significantly influenced by a feeling of safety.

In response to this, UPHOLD partnered with local government officials beginning in 2003 in Arua and 33 other districts to introduce the contract that students signed. Chief among concerns at the time were far‐too‐frequent cases of cross‐generational sex between teachers and students, as well as vulnerability to violence on the path between school and home, and in the school itself. Asked first to identify classmates with whom they could form a safety group, all students were invited to sign a simple contract that states, “I will bring my 3 to 4 friends if called to a teacher’s room after class or to his or her home. I will report safety concerns without delay.” For their part, teachers signed a complementary contract against violence.

In addition to promises against seeing pupils alone and also reporting all safety concerns, it more generally prescribes acting, “…with honor and bravery to protect pupils’ safety and future.”

Source: The Manoff Group, Inc. through a project led by John Snow Research and Training Institute, Inc.

Date of Publication: March 25, 2019