Learner safety in school: Spotlight on playgrounds

I vividly recall my days at Basic School, when a colleague got injured playing with a playground ‘see-saw’.

As he flapped in the sky, he lost control only to land with a fractured arm and leg. It never occurred to teachers, learners and the school authorities this accident could happen, because we had been playing with it for years.

In Ghana, some schools are not walled, so the learners play outside at the mercy of strangers passing by, stray dogs and cattle. During sports festivals, learners from various schools converge on a particular location for various sports competitions.

Often, learners parade the premises of such events without strict supervision. These pose safety risks such as kidnapping, injury from dog bites, and germs to the learners.

The playground is a recreational environment where learners entertain themselves through games such as ‘Ampe’, soccer, hide and seek and tug-of-war.

Indeed, a school without a playground may result in learners who are dull and easily lose focus in class. Play helps revive the enthusiasm of learners in classroom activities and sharpens their attention.

Safe playground design, factors

In creating space for a safe playground, it is important to consider certain factors. They are critical to minimise the risk of injury to learners. Yu Liang Zhang, (2023) believes these factors include:

• Safety: Use no exposed nails, no thorns equipment, avoid sharp corners, etc., to prevent children from being injured. Choose materials and equipment that meet national safety standards.

• Age Appropriate: Design appropriate play equipment for children of different ages, stimulating but not over-stimulating. Balance static and dynamic facilities.

• Inclusiveness: Consider children of different abilities and skills, and design playgrounds that allow all children the opportunity to play.

• Function orientation: Determine the main application and functional orientation of the playground facilities according to the school’s educational philosophy and the age of the students.

Playground safety

The health and safety of the child is threatened when school authorities do not put in place measures to curtail injuries at the playgrounds.

A walk through some private and government basic schools in Ghana would reveal significant enrolment levels accompanied by small compounds usually for playgrounds that cannot accommodate the increasing numbers.

These children are forced to stay in the classroom and risk colliding with each other during play, which sometimes leads to injuries.

Moreover, supervision plays an important role in advancing the safety of learners at playgrounds. Unfortunately, some schools do not supervise the learners as they play.

The assumption is that they are old enough to take care of themselves and teachers do not have sufficient time to cater to them during lunch breaks.

Inadequate teachers equally block the desire of the schools to provide a safe playground for the learners. Due to limited funds, the school authorities do not consider recruiting personnel to supervise learners at the playgrounds.

Similarly, due to insufficient funds, they are unable to erect walls to protect the learners from intruders such as animals and strangers.

Again, the idea of playground safety may not be considered a priority. The focus of some schools is on effective teaching, guidance, counselling and achieving learning outcomes.

In a few situations, you would find some schools erect security cameras at playgrounds or some teachers trying to mingle with the learners during play.

This even happens because time has been allotted for Physical Education and an assigned teacher has no option but to engage with the learners till the end of the lesson period.

Wrap up

The Ghana Education Service (GES) prioritises playgrounds in both basic and second-cycle schools. The management of these schools must consider the establishment of playgrounds in their schools and ensure the safety of the learners.

Teaching and learning are necessary but fostering a safe environment including a safe playground is worthwhile. Handle learners with care!

The writer is an Institutional Assessment Practitioner.
E-mail: hattanyame@gmail.com