Comprehensive school safety framework (CSSF): pupils’ experiences during the COVID-19 measures at primary schools in Stung Treng province, Cambodia
Authors: Sok Serey , Chet Chealy , Chen Tepsam Ol , Keng Chansopheak , Sou Veasna 
Published: January 2025

PurposeThis paper aims to draw on pupils’ experience during the COVID-19 measures, focusing on a safe learning environment from disaster, study activities during COVID-19, and safe school-related activities and interventions.Design/methodology/approachSurveys were conducted among 768 pupils at 34 primary schools in Stung Treng province with qualitative data collection among key stakeholders through participatory approaches.FindingsThe COVID-19 outbreak become a new challenge in teaching and learning. Almost all pupils felt safe at school but not fully on the way to/from schools and the communities. In particular, one-third of pupils felt unsafe in the environment where they mainly had to study for school during the COVID-19 outbreak; girls needed more protection from adults. The majority of pupils continued learning at their own homes, followed by neighbors’ homes (28.1%), other people’s homes (25.4%), teachers’ homes (14.9%) and public spaces (11.9%). Pupils continued going to school occasionally, and they also leaned on television (42.1%), smart devices (17.2%), iPads (10.2%) and computers (5.3%). School safety and educational continuity management only helped to increase pupils’ knowledge and made for a more positive attitude toward their participation in interventions. This paper is one of the pioneering research studies that adopted the comprehensive school safety framework (CSSF) to analyze safe school programs in primary education during the COVID-19 pandemic.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was conducted in Stung Treng with a large engagement of key national and sub-national stakeholders, including schools. Providing a large sample size has enabled its results and findings to be better generalized to the context of Stung Treg province. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not visit the study site to participate or observe pupils' risks and challenges. However, the incident happened less than one year after the interviews, so all the respondents could provide clear information.Practical implicationsThe SEM predict that school safety and educational continuity management only helped to increase pupils’ knowledge and made for a more positive attitude toward their participation in interventions. But, primary schools did not have sufficient resources and infrastructure to carry out interventions. The SEM model recognizes the importance of facilities and buildings in promoting safe school interventions and raising awareness to improve pupils' knowledge and attitudes toward risk reduction. Yet, knowledge and a positive attitude toward risk reduction did not eliminate pupils’ vulnerabilities because safe school interventions by schools were still required.Social implicationsThe findings of the research produce both quantitative and qualitative information on safe school programs and interventions to achieve the implementation of Cambodia’s national policies and sustainable development goals (SDGs) and beyond. In particular, this research is one of the most pioneer academic research projects conducting by a local scholar from Cambodia.Originality/valueThe CSFF (2022–2030) has been widely applied to promote safe school in developing countries; but there were only few studies conducting to deeply understand this concept. The previous studies have primary captured the impacts of floods, droughts, violences and abuse. This study is a particular case of the COVID-19 pandemic by using the CSSF.