The Ministry of Education and Training (MET) has officially launched its Safe and Resilient Children Project to safeguard students’ well-being and safety.
The new initiative, backed by funding from the Australian Government (DFAT), is led by Save the Children in partnership with MET.
It seeks to strengthen social-emotional wellbeing, safety and child protection through Social Emotional Learning, positive discipline and wellbeing practices in schools and communities.
Over the year ahead, the project will engage students (especially prefects), teachers, parents and community representatives to develop safer classrooms, child protection referral systems, safe school clubs, and psychosocial support networks for families.
The initiative also ties tightly into Tonga’s existing Education Policy Framework 2022–2032, reinforcing the vision of Fatutama: Student Well-being and Fonua mo Kainga: Partnerships and Community Connectedness.
This is not starting from scratch since Tonga has already run a similar Safe and Resilient Schools project that has attracted over US$29.5 million in funding, including investments to rebuild and upgrade school infrastructure damaged during the 2022 volcanic eruption and tsunami.That earlier project emphasised disaster-resilient design and maintenance in schools across the country.
Collaboration is key: the project draws support from MET, the Desk of Church Leaders, Digicel, Organisations of People with Disability (OPD), and church education agencies. The goal is shared accountability to nurture resilience, safety and potential in every Tongan child.
