To achieve this goal, the city requires 100% of educational institutions to build safe schools; 100% of officials, teachers, and staff to be trained in skills to identify, prevent and handle violence and abuse against children; 100% of students to be equipped with skills to prevent and combat violence and abuse, including in cyberspace, and drowning prevention skills.
Setting high goals is necessary. Because for children, a case of violence, a case of abuse or a drowning accident is already too much.
But the higher the goals set, the more we must be wary of another risk, which is turning "nothing" and "100%" numbers into achievement targets.
Because if the results of a school's emulation are too closely linked to the number of recorded cases of violence and abuse, it is very easy to develop a psychology of reluctance to report. At that time, a scuffle can be mildly called "conflict between students". A case of a student being bullied for a long time can be handled internally. A complaint about abuse can be delayed in verification because adults are afraid of affecting the school's reputation...
A good school is not a place where problems never happen. The important thing is whether when problems appear, students dare to speak out; whether teachers recognize abnormal signs; whether the school receives feedback responsibly and whether the case is handled thoroughly.
Even in some cases, the increased number of cases detected is not necessarily a bad sign. That may be the result of students trusting teachers more, parents proactively reflecting more, and schools having a better mechanism to receive information.
The same goes for students at risk of dropping out of school. The goal of not letting any of them drop out of school due to economic difficulties is only meaningful when each case is closely monitored. Some students lack tuition fees, some lack means to go to school, some have to work to help their families, and some are bored with studying due to psychological pressure. If you only look at the number of students dropping out of school at the end of the year, it may be too late.
Drowning prevention cannot stop at organizing a few swimming classes. Ponds, lakes, canals, unfinished works, and deep holes on roads that students regularly pass through must be reviewed and handled before an accident occurs.
The ultimate goal of a safe school program is not to create beautiful summaries. What needs to be aimed at is an environment where each student knows who they can turn to when in danger; each teacher understands what they must do when detecting unusual signs and each incident is viewed directly, handled correctly instead of avoiding.
