Photo by Paula Uribe, © RET International

Article by Paula Uribe, Regional Technical Manager of RET in Latin America and the Caribbean

PANAMA CITY, PANAMA – On March 18 and 19, Panama hosted the III Safe Schools Forum of the Central American Integration System (SICA) region, developed within the framework of the VIII Regional Consultative Forum on Integrated Disaster Risk Management. The event was organized by the Coordination Center for Disaster Prevention in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC), a specialized agency of SICA, together with the National Civil Protection System of Panama (SINAPROC).

This strategic space brought together education authorities, regional organizations and humanitarian actors with the aim of strengthening education in contexts of risk and moving towards safer, more resilient and inclusive school environments.

On behalf of the Regional Education Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (GRE-LAC), RET’s Regional Director of Programs, Magnolia Santamaría, opened the forum with the keynote lecture “The Comprehensive Framework for School Safety (CSSF) as an umbrella for action”.

During his speech, he stressed that the Comprehensive Framework for School Safety 2022-2030 constitutes the strategic roadmap to articulate public policies, investments and technical actions aimed at guaranteeing educational continuity in the face of multiple threats. She also stressed that education saves lives, not only by protecting the right to learn in crisis contexts, but also by strengthening preparedness, response and recovery capacities in communities.

Photo by Paula Uribe, © RET International

In this sense, she emphasized that school safety should be understood as a systemic approach that integrates protection, risk management and education for resilience, in a regional context marked by disasters, human mobility and dynamics of territorial violence that impact school life.

It also called for a shift from normative commitments to coordinated action between States, regional bodies and civil society organizations, noting that “school safety is a human rights imperative and a key factor for social cohesion and community recovery.”

In this same space, the Ministry of Education of Panama (MEDUCA) shared national advances in school safety, including the updating and operationalization of school emergency plans, some developed with the technical support of RET. These processes have made it possible to strengthen institutional and community capacities for emergency preparedness, response and recovery, promoting that schools have clear protocols, periodic drills, defined evacuation routes and intersectoral coordination mechanisms.

The experience evidenced the value of alliances between educational authorities and specialized organizations to translate regional frameworks into concrete actions in the territory, helping educational communities to be better prepared for natural, health or protection risks.

A regional call for joint action

The forum concluded with a call to consolidate regional cooperation and accelerate the implementation of SICA’s Safe Schools Roadmap, prioritizing comprehensive approaches that link public policies, sustainable financing and community participation.

From RET, participation in this space reaffirms the institutional commitment to accompany governments in the construction of resilient education systems, where every child and adolescent can fully exercise their right to learn in conditions of safety and dignity.Because a safe school saves lives and sustains the future of an entire community.

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