 The Safe Schools Recognition Program is SIDEMA's way of acknowledging the efforts of schools to implement safety mechanisms at their institutions to improve school safety and strengthen the school's resilience to natural disasters under the agency's Model Safe Schools Program. The rollout of a Safe School Recognition Program will benefit schools in six SIDEMA-participating states including St. Lucia, acting school safety officer within the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training, Ian Federick, says the program recognizes and honors the commitment, innovation and leadership of schools in the education sector within the Caribbean region when it comes to school safety. This initiative is well-placed within the SIDEMA Comprehensive Disaster Framework which facilitates disaster risk management for everyone at every phase of the disaster management cycle in every aspect of life including climate resilience and adaptability. The program will be implemented in several pilot schools and SIDEMA hopes to adopt the initiative in every school on the island. Mr. Hippolitzens, the experience from the COVID-19 pandemic has served as warning that the school system has to plan ahead for unforeseen challenges and realities. Only this week, stakeholders were engaged in the formulation of a 2023-2028 education sector development strategy for the island. My office has been working closely to ensure that disaster risk management, education and planning are given due regard and consideration. We continue to depend on partners like SIDEMA, JICA, USAID, BHA, UNDRR, UN Habitat and others to sponsor and facilitate programs that will help uplift the standard of safety in our schools so as to ensure continuity of operations no matter what adversity befall us. School Safety Coordinator with SIDEMA, Berners Kodra, says the training workshop will help to achieve several objectives including identifying and applying standards necessary to meet the criteria for a safe school and introduce participants to key elements of the Safe School Recognition Program. The National Safe Schools Policy Guide of the MSSP toolkit urges the integration of a school safety recognition program within the national safe and green strategy being developed for implementation in the education sector. Mr. Kodra says SIDEMA has joined forces with several regional partners to implement the Caribbean Safe Schools Initiative CSSI, which he says provides the framework with funding from the Austrian Development Agency for wider participation in the world initiative on safe schools, or WIS, from the Communications Unit of the Department of Education, Innovation and Vocational Training. I am Chris Satney, reporting.