Learn Not To Burn (LNTB)
Gauteng Department of Education

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
The Learn NOT To Burn (LNTB) programme focuses on teaching fire prevention and control strategies to learners living in South Africa (SA) aged 0-4 years as well as all learners with Severe Intellectual Barriers to Learning (SIB Learners). The destruction that fire causes is a world-wide phenomenon and Africa has one of the highest rates of burn deaths in the world with the highest fire fatalities in the age group 0-4 years. In SA the problem is exacerbated by poverty and the prevalence of informal settlements, where paraffin fires are widely used for heating homes and cooking.Fires frequently lead to danger, despair, devastation, disfigurement, disablement, social rejection and death. Thus the burn problem in SA needed to be addressed and due to the high poverty index of SA, the route of education was chosen above that of engineering and enforcement. For this purpose, the National Fire Prevention Association (NFPA) Pre School Programme introduced in the USA in the 1960’s had been considered and adapted to suit the needs of the South African context. In early 2000 various stakeholders and role-players in SA were involved in developing and adapting this NPFA Pre-School Programme resulting in the LNTB Pre- School programme. A decade later, this valuable programme had not as yet been tested in SA schools. The following issues made a conventional fire safety programme difficult to implement in SA: • Language limitations: SA has nine official languages which creates serious communication problems; a number of people are illiterate especially amongst the older population; female education in the past has not been seen as a priority; immigrants from neighbouring states speak other languages and people with disabilities may have been denied education and function on a lower intellectual level. Written fire safety messages, unfortunately, have limited meaning to these people. • The programme needed to include SIB learners: The learner with barriers to education must also be included in the education system (Unesco, 1994). The curriculum must suit their needs, they must not be forced into a set curriculum is the vision of the South African Education White Paper 6 on Inclusive education (DoE, 2001). This has been reinforced by the latest National Curriculum Statement (NCS) of 2011 (DoE, 2011) which states that inclusion must be the central focus of the SA education system. • Limited training and knowledge at all levels: At the start of the initial LNTB pilot the staff at the main research school had extremely limited fire safety knowledge. ‘It could not happen to us’ was the general thought amongst the staff. This lack of fire safety knowledge was found to be similar in the participants of the pilot Based on the above, the Early Childhood Development Institute (ECDI) LNTB Inclusion Pilot was created, the aim of which was to test the suitability of the main stream LNTB Burn Prevention Preschool programme in Gauteng, SA in two vital areas: • Inclusion in the Birth to Four Curriculum • The teaching programme of SIB Learners.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
In 2009 ECDI was approached by Mr Rodney Eksteen from the Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS) to introduce the LNTB prevention Preschool Programme into schools. The fact that there was insufficient content in the curriculum to educate learners about fire safety, prompted the LNTB Inclusion pilot. This multi-phased research was undertaken over a three year period. The first two phases of the study were conducted in the context of special education in Gauteng, SA. The ECDI, Gauteng Department of Education (GDE), SA deemed it necessary to pilot the LNTB burn prevention programme to address the high number of burn victims in SA especially the very young learner and learners with disabilities living in poverty and informal settlements. However, in order to make this program accessible to all learners in an inclusive education system, it had to be adapted to suit the needs of learners with severe barriers to learning. The Gauteng ECDI recognized the value of the LNTB programme and approached the main research school with the request of implementing the programme at the school with the aim of evaluating the suitability of the content of theprogramme and at the same time making the necessary adaptations and modifications to the programme in order to make it accessible for learners with special educational needs (LSEN). During this pilot the programme titled “Learn Not to Burn” (LNTB); a pre-foundation phase mainstream burn prevention programme was adapted and implemented at a special school in Gauteng. The LNTB programme consists of ten fire safety messages that extensive research has been undertaken to ensure the effectiveness thereof. Learners attending the schools and centres in this project are from different socio economic backgrounds. Many of the schools involved cater for learners from impoverished, informal settlements. These learners have to do many of the household chores for their parents who work during the day, only arriving home late in the evening. They have to deal with situations including boiling water, lighting fires and handling paraffin to mention only a few of the dangers they are exposed to. These learners urgently need training in how to handle these dangerous situations. All learners, regardless of the barrier to learning they experience, are able to be taught safety strategies, using the LNTB burn prevention programme, which hopefully will reduce the incidents of severe damage / death from burn situations. This does not remove the risk associated with fire but equips the learners to deal with dangerous situations as they arise, regardless of their language or learning ability. An integrated task team was established from the following institutions and organisations to provide additional technical support and guidance: • The University of South Africa (UNISA), • The Johannesburg Emergency Services (EMS), • Officials from both the Provincial and District Education Offices in Gauteng, • one Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and • the ECDI. The schools involved included: • Six Special Schools - all these learners are SIB learners but many have multiple barriers which include epilepsy, deafness, blindness, physical barriers, behavioural barriers and autism. • 1 Full service (mainstream school which is also attended by certain SID learners) and • 2 ECD Centres in Gauteng. The learners who were part of the project were main stream learners as well as LSEN learners. The parents of the learners and the communities of the surrounding areas were also included through awareness raising using newsletters and parent meetings. Target Audiences: Many presentations have been given to a variety of audiences. These include: • UNESCO • University of South Africa • ECDI conference • Provincial and District Education Departments • The EMS

 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
Education seems to be the most effective way of addressing the serious burn deaths and injury to learners in SA, yet limited provision for fire prevention programmes has been made in the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) (DoE, 2011). The LNTB Preschool Programme was the first step in addressing fire safety education for learners in SA. This pilot is unique in that the strategies used: • provided valuable teacher development. • visuals to accompany words. • catered for SIB learners and very young learners. • involved a whole teaching programme approach (songs, stories, movement, art). • provided suitable LNTB songs, stories and rhymes to be used in an inclusive environment. • became part of the learners and parents at home, further extending the training of the LNTB programme. • taught educators how to make equipment out of waste materials • the LNTB manual provides a wide range of teaching, therapy ideas for all teachers. • a trained dog from the EMS Unit to demonstrate safety messages to the learners. The project gave adequate opportunity for teacher development by capitalising on expertise of teachers who were part of the project and used innovative ways of teaching. Different teaching strategies were used to teach the messages.

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
To ensure the successful execution of the programme,a well-defined project brief and defined outcomes were established at the commencement of the research. The planning phase included the clarification of what the project was about and provided an outline of the project expectations. It involved planning and defining the project plan with the necessary role players, timelines and target dates. This was done in consultation with all the stakeholders so as to ensure that the project planning was acceptable. Refer to the Management Plans for both pilots: • Appendix A (Pilot First phase) • Appendix B (Pilot Second Phase – Field Phase) The devolution of organisational power led to commitment from all stakeholders. Teachers were provided with the opportunity to take on leadership roles. This distributed leadership brought about ownership of the learning process. The Project was a multiphase project which was implemented over a three year period. • First Phase: Undertaken at The Gateway School involving all the staff (70) and all learners (310) The LNTB Pre School programme pilot was undertaken at the research school, The Gateway School from January to November 2010.This school is a special school for SIB Learners. The purpose of the LNTB Inclusion pilot was to test the main stream LNTB Pre School programme in a setting for LSEN learners to determine the suitability of this programme for these learners. It necessitated designing specialized teaching equipment to accommodate the diverse learning needs of learners with disabilities. It involved staff training in the area of fire safety. The involvement of the EMS as partners was important to train all staff in fire safety management. During this phase of the project a “hub of expertise” was built in order to provide specialized support for the further implementation of the LNTB programme. • Second Phase Undertaken at The Gateway School involving the staff (70) from 6 special schools (816) and 2 ECD Centres. The second phase (Field Phase) was to test and extend the findings derived during the pilot. This phase took place from January 2011 to September 2011 in five special schools, a full-service school and an ECD Centre who caters for both mainstream and learners with special educational needs.This phase focused on teacher development and identifying best teaching strategies to be employed in teaching the LNTB Programme to the very young learners and learners with special educational needs. All schools participated in designing learner teacher support material (LTSM) and adapting activities to suit the diverse needs of the learner population they reach. The following was achieved by the programme: The LNTB programme led to: • Teacher development, improved management skills, improved instructional practices and whole school improvement. • Integration of learning areas. • A printed and electronic LNTB resource pack consisting of a LNTB manual, picture dictionary & a music CD. • LNTB programme integrated into the birth to four years curriculum in Gauteng. • LNTB Integrated in the SANASE (South African Association for Specialized Education) Programme for Learners with Severe Intellectual Barriers to Learning.

 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
The ECDI, GDEwas responsible for the following: • Initiation and coordination • Establishment of initial task team • Handling administrative and communication aspects • Facilitating and enabling public participation by:  Hosting regular meetings with the integrated task team where feedback was provided on the progress in an open, collaborative and transparent manner. (Refer to Appendix B)  Facilitating regular individual, group meetings and consultation with various key stakeholders.  Involving all participants in the project by integrating input from them into the planning process. This created ownership and buy in from all concerned.  Setting of service standards which were agreed upon with input from various stakeholders.  Creation of project plan with outcomes, set dates and responsible parties.  Monitoring progress by means of feedback sessions, questionnaires, site visits and reports. The project was funded bythe Inclusion and Special Schools Directorate (Head Office – GDE). The initial staff training was conducted by The Gateway School (Public Special School)with input from GDE. Valuable networking took place at organisational level. This was extended to external networking with other schools, EMS, Universities, NGO’s, and Gauteng departments. This networking increased public participation in this project and provided valuable sources of skills and knowledge. Strong links between schools, parents and their local communities were established. Individual schools had meetings with their parents and surrounding communities to share information explaining the importance of the programme. Fire safety information dealt with in the classrooms was sent home and the parents reported to have benefitted greatly from the information shared with them. The programme was also introduced to churches and other community groups. The Ukuphepha ECD pilot in Slovo Park , Johannesburg conducted by the Institute for Social And Health Sciences UNISA, enhanced community awarenesswhich was a further valuable extension of the public participation
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
6.1 FINANCIAL The project was funded by the GDE, which enabled the funding of the following: 6.1.1 Phase 1 – Pilot to adapt, develop and test the material in one special school, The Gateway School. 6.1.2 Phase 2 – Field testing of project in five Special schools, one Full Service school and one ECD centre. 6.1.3 Training resources development, including the printing of the manuals, Picture dictionaries and three CD’s (songs, presentations) 6.1.4 Purchase of equipment - schools were given a LNTB resource box to the value of R1,200 which included the equipment necessary to carry out the programme 6.2 NON – FINANCIAL These resources developed as the project unfolded and provided the resources that made the project a success. 6.2.1 Inclusion of other special schools not part of initial project. The staff of these schools made valuable contributions towards the programme. This provided a learning platform for both LNTB as well as learning about identifying the needs of SIB Learners and forthe planning of differentiated activities to suit the needs of these learners. 6.2.2 The LNTB staff development programme created a school wide awareness of safety measures and procedures. The whole school improvement that took place included designing and updating of school safety policies and procedures. 6.2.3 The importance of support in developing a climate and culture conducive to teaching and learning is emphasised by the programme. 6.2.4 Mutual engagement and learning - The importance of teamwork was highlighted throughout the programme and it led to high levels of motivation. 6.2.5 The networking with other schools and organisations increased the sources of skills and knowledge. 6.3 HUMAN RESOURCES “The Hub of Excellence” (Kempen, 2013:166) was an important aspect of the success and Sustainability of the project. 6.3.1 In order to set up the “Hub of Excellence” the staff of the main pilot school required extensive training in a subject they had limited knowledge of at the start of the pilot. The quality of the “Expert Hub” (core of staff running the project) had to be high quality, passionate, well trained staff. They were the ones that had the responsibility of running the project. 6.3.2 The project centre (The Gateway School) had to devote time in preparation: 6.1.1.1 for initial training; 6.1.1.2 for training of the six schools; 6.1.1.3 for training of the ECD site facilitators and 6.1.1.4 for preparation of all the training material produced for the project. 6.4 TECHNICAL 6.4.1 Computerised resources were needed in the preparation of MSPowerPoint presentations, for teaching equipment and training documents. 6.4.2 EMS officials were trained by teachers in how to interact with the learners in the event of an emergency. 6.4.3 Technical training relating to fire prevention and safety was provided by EMS officials who instructed teachers on the following:  Correct use of fire safety equipment such as smoke alarms and fire extinguishers.  Evacuation procedures (with emphasis on procedures for learners who could not evacuate on their own)

 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
7.1 KNOWLEDGE OF LNTB FIRE SAFETY MESSAGES LNTB project has increased the knowledge of burn prevention measures to be undertaken in the case of fire emergencies. The learners can enact the correct strategies to be followed e.g. To STOP, DROP and ROLL if their clothes catch fire. 7.2 STAFF TRAINING/DEVELOPMENT This staff training is a first in fire safety training for teachers for inclusion in the curriculum. Educators of learners with barriers received vital training in: • Identification of barriers in learners. • In the ability to plan a diverse programme for learners with barriers. • In the planning of LTSM (Learner Teacher Support Material). • The strategies to be used in the teaching of learners with barriers. • The ability to work as a ‘team’ in the context of fire safety. 7.3 LNTB IS NOW PART OF THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM Participating schools and ECD centres have incorporated the LNTB programme into their school Curriculum. 7.4 LNTB IS NOW PART OF THE BIRTH TO FOUR CURRICULUM The Gateway school conducted the training for the facilitators to integrate the LNTB programme into the Birth to Four curriculum for Gauteng and to conduct the training for the practitioners. Five Hundred practitioners from fifty ECD Centres across the Province were trained to implement the LNTB programme at their ECD Centres. The training and implementation will be monitored over a period of time to evaluate the impact of the program. Thirty eight Facilitators, Twenty Eight NGO’s, Twenty Eight Municipality officials, Ten District officials were trained to roll out the LNTB Programme to ECD centres across the Province. The intention is to roll out the Birth to Four curriculum to all ECD centres in the Province over a period of time and seeing that the LNTB programme is integrated into the curriculum it has the potential to be sustained. 7.5 ACADEMIC VALUE An academic article was published in an International Journal which extended the academic literature on special education. An academic paper based on the LNTB research conducted was read at an international conference in Dublin. A doctoral study was published through UNISA based on teacher development in this research done during this project. A further doctoral study is in progress dealing with the strategies that were developed for SIB Learners.

 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
Throughout the whole project monitoring and evaluation took place by means of: • Regular task team meetings to establish progress and receive feedback (see appendix C) • Quarterly meetings with participating schools • Reports (see appendix E) • Presentations • Questionnaires (see appendix D) • Focus groups and individual interviews with participants • Site visits • Photographs • Videos • Examples of LTSM • achievements flowing from the implementation of the project have potential of being sustained over a period of time: • Participating schools and ECD centres have incorporated the LNTB programme into their school curriculum. • The LNTB programme has already been integrated into Birth to Four Curriculum for Gauteng and has the potential to roll out to the rest of the country in line with the National Curriculum Framework Birth to four. • The Gateway school conducted the training for the ECD facilitators to integrate the LNTB programme into the Birth to Four curriculum for Gauteng and to conduct the training for the ECD practitioners. • Practitioners from fifty ECD Centres across the Province have been trained to implement the LNTB programme at their ECD Centres. The training and implementation will be monitored over a period of time to evaluate the impact of the program. • The next round of practitioners from hundred ECD Centres will be trained from January 2014. • The intention is to roll out the Birth to Four curriculum to all ECD centres in the Province over a period of time and seeing that the LNTB programme is integrated into the curriculum it has the potential to be sustained. • The possibility to include the LNTB programme in the Grade R curriculum is also being looked at. • Strong links with all ECD stakeholders could ensure roll out in a broader context. • It has been included in the SANASE programme for learners with Severe Intellectual Barriers to learning. SANASE will be providing training in their programme, therefore the LNTB sections will receive training at the same time. • Staff from the Emergency Services for City of Johannesburg will be trained during March 2014 in order for them to include it in their safety programmes for communities. • Possible roll out in the Western Cape facilitated by the Emergency Services from the Western Cape. • The programme has a potential to be replicated to the rest of country and other developing countries • This project can serve as a model for the development of Health and Safety programmes like road safety, water safety, Social Network safety etc. • To ensure sustainability participants and stakeholders were made aware of their accountability and responsibility. • The HUB of Excellence” (Kempen, 2013:166) was an important aspect of the sustainability of the project. In this project, the staff were motivated and well trained. This may not be the case in other projects Using the HUB of Excellence model of staff development. • This requires serious consideration in further projects.

 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
9.1 AT THE START OF THE PROJECT THE PILOT SCHOOL LACKED FIRE SAFETY KNOWLEDGE. Fire Safety presentations were given from very early on in the pilot. A number of presentations were given to experienced fire department officials on how we would teach the learners. These presentations were difficult as we did not have an in-depth knowledge of fire safety procedures...With the help of Mr. R. Eksteen (co-coordinator of the LNTB programme), we were far more confident. We certainly learnt through trial and error and were able to accept our mistakes as part of the learning curve. The strength of this project lies in the fact that most of the challenges experienced in the initial stage of the project were ironed out and addressed during the first pilot. No major obstacles were encountered in the second pilot and all challenges were addressed and overcome in a collaborative manner by involving all major stakeholders. 9.2 THE PILOT SCHOOL LACKED COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE IN THE PREPARATION OF POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS The educators responsible for the preparation of the many MSPowerPoint presentations lacked computer knowledge at the beginning of the pilot. However, as time went on, the computer skillsincreased resulting in an increase in confidence. This was certainly one of the most positive outcomes of the LNTB pilots. 9.3 RESOURCES FOR THE PREPARATION OF LTSM WAS URGENTLY NEEDED Schools who did not have the necessary resources for the teaching of the LNTB lessons overcame this challenge by utilising waste material. Waste material was successfully employed to prepare Learner Teacher Support Material LTSM 9.4 OWNERSHIP OF THE PROJECT Ownership of the project was also a challenge but was overcome by giving teachers leadership roles and encouraged collaboration and networking to share knowledge, expertise and skills.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
• Internal and external networks led to beneficial relationships for all stakeholders involved. This was a valuable finding in the research undertaken (Kempen, 2013:75). The internal networks included the staff structures in the school. The external networks included external organisations (Parents, EMS, UNISA, ECDI, Local community, Fire Safety dog and handler). • Pockets of expertise where shared. The more experienced staff in the teams assisted those staff with less experience thus passing on the valuable knowledge they had acquired over the years. This was an important finding in this project. This led to the development of the continuous Professional Staff Development model which has at its centre the “Hub of Expertise” (Kempen, 2013:78). In this Model, the centre of the team is made up of the leader of the team (the researcher) assisted by experts in all the various fields needed in the training. This is called the “Dynamic hub of expertise” (Kempen, 2013:167). These staff members were responsible for the training of the staff at the main pilot school (The Gateway School). After the training, the staff of the school now became an extension of the “Dynamic hub” and was responsible for the training of the educators in the other schools in the second phase of the pilot. The educatorsin these schools in turn became the “Hub of expertise” and went back to train the staff at their own schools. The main pilot school was also responsible for the training of the facilitators who would go out to train the ECD sites in the roll-out planned. • Teacher Development: Peer Coaching, Collaboration, Problem Solving, Developing Excellence by means of competence, confidence and enjoyment adhering to teacher’s contextual needs, sharing existing knowledge and experience. This training was invaluable for the participating staff members as they had practical, hands-on experience by experienced educators. • Whole school Improvement: Empowerment of teachers, fostering positive attitudes, personal and professional gains, team development. . • Management Development: Interpersonal skills, Leadership skills, administrative skills, assist school management to develop positive leadership roles to support teachers, formal systematic planning of the workshops. • Improved Structural Practices: Gained knowledge and skills on sound instructional practices, Positive relationship ensured gained knowledge and the implementation thereof, Improved leaner outcomes, Knowledge on curriculum adaption, inclusive pedagogy, • Catalyst of Change: the programme became the hub of excellence which spread from Gateway school and expanded to various schools, NGOS, Municipalities. The programme also created Fire Safety awareness to communities through the Ukuphepha Fire Safety Project, Pilots, and Training of Facilitators. It also created fire safety awareness in homes of all participants particularly the previously disadvantaged communities. • Value Systems and Attitudes: Teachers and Facilitators became more positive towards the programme • Learner Development: Learners with special needs do not usually learn through reading and writing and were able to participate in the programme and receive the message. Through various teaching activities: visuals, art, gross motor, music and through play. • The project has a potential to scale if the number of staff in the “Hub of excellence” is increased. • General value to the participants of the pilots  The inclusion of other special schools which was not part of initial project. The staff of these schools made valuable contributions towards the programme.  The LNTB staff development programme created a school wide awareness of safety measures and procedures. The whole school improvement that took place included designing and updating of school safety policies and procedures.  The importance of support in developing a climate and culture conducive to teaching and learning is emphasised by the programme.  Mutual engagement and learning - The importance of teamwork was highlighted throughout the programme and it led to high levels of motivation.  The networking with other schools and organisations increased the sources of skills and knowledge.  The knowledge of different barriers to learning was increased. This is part of the vision of the NCS (National Curriculum Statement)(DoE, 2011) that educators must be able to identify barriers to learning.  The knowledge of how to differentiate a learning programme for learners on different levels was increased. This is a further part of the vision of the NCS (National Curriculum Statement) DoE, 2011)

 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
The achievements flowing from the implementation of the project have potential of being sustained over a period of time: • The manuals and other resource material provides the information required by educators to carry out the LNTB programme once they have had a basic training. This is a financial saving as they have the information at hand. • The EMS are encouraged to train as many schools as possible, focussing on those learners who are most at risk in the first stages. • Staff from the Emergency Services for City of Johannesburg will be trained during March 2014 in order for them to include it in their safety programmes for communities. • As the learners are trained, this information is also made available to the parents in parent meetings The health and safety regulations can be discussed with the parents. • Participating schools and ECD centres have incorporated the LNTB programme into their school curriculum. • The LNTB programme has already been integrated into Birth to Four Curriculum for Gauteng and has the potential to roll out to the rest of the country in line with the National Curriculum Framework Birth to four. • The Gateway school conducted the training for the ECD facilitators to integrate the LNTB programme into the Birth to Four curriculum for Gauteng and to conduct the training for the ECD practitioners. • Practitioners from fifty ECD Centres across the Province have been trained to implement the LNTB programme at their ECD Centres. The training and implementation will be monitored over a period of time to evaluate the impact of the program. • The next round of practitioners from hundred ECD Centres will be trained from January 2014. • The intention is to roll out the Birth to Four curriculum to all ECD centres in the Province over a period of time and seeing that the LNTB programme is integrated into the curriculum it has the potential to be sustained. • The possibility to include the LNTB programme in the Grade R curriculum is also being looked at. • Strong links with all ECD stakeholders could ensure roll out in a broader context. • It has been included in the SANASE programme for learners with Severe Intellectual Barriers to learning. SANASE will be providing training in their programme, therefore the LNTB sections willreceive training at the same time. • Possible roll out in the Western Cape facilitated by the Emergency Services from the Western Cape. • The programme has a potential to be replicated to the rest of country and other developing countries • This project can serve as a model for the development of Health and Safety programmes like road safety, water safety, Social Network safety etc. • To ensure sustainability participants and stakeholders were made aware of their accountability and responsibility. • The HUB of Excellence” (Kempen, 2013:166) was an important aspect of the sustainability of the project. This requires serious consideration in further projects. In this project, the staff were motivated and well trained. It is vital to have well trained staff in the “Hub”

 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
Lessons learnt: Identifying the relevant stakeholders was challenging. Collaboration and consultation with all relevant stakeholders from different levels prior to the commencement of the project was time consuming. Proper Communication and awareness about the project to all the stakeholders should occur before the project commences. Fortunately, each stakeholder realised the importance of the contribution they could/ would make to this project and willingly participated, making the project a success. They provided invaluable training to the staff at The Gateway School in acquiring fire safety knowledge. Teachers involved in the project At first teachers were reluctant to participate and make contributions but as they became more familiar with the programme their confidence grew and their participation increased. Their final contribution was beyond all our expectations. Recommendations: 12.1 In a project of this caliber proper consultation and collaboration with all relevant stakeholders from the initial planning stage is very important to ensure the buy in from the start of the project. 12.2 Proper Planning from the beginning is important and consultation throughout the project created the opportunity for trust, openness and transparency. 12.3 Communication to all the stakeholders on a regular basis to provide feedback will assist to monitor progress or identify challenges. 12.4 The LNTB manual is suitable and contains all relevant information necessary to teach the ten fire safety messages to the learners. 12.5 The activities are age appropriate and can be adapted to suit the social, emotional and intellectual development of the young leaner from different socio economic backgrounds. 12.6 In teaching the LNTB programme to young learners and those with barriers to learning, teachers can employ strategies proven to be most successful – the strategies developed in this project. 12.7 Fire safety messages should be repeated over an extended period of time and should not be treated as a once off event. 12.8 Fire safety messages must be revised annually. 12.9 All equipment and pictures must be representative of the learners’ real life world and must be kept simple without much detail. 12.10 Vocabulary extension is very important and should be the focus of all activities. 12.11 The LNTB programme allows for integration between subjects, integration between lessons and integration between activities. 12.12 The learners must be taught to “stay away” from dangerous items and call an adult for help in necessary. URGENT ISSUES THAT STILL NEED TO BE ADDRESSED to REDUCE THE NUMBER OF FIRE TRAGEDIES • Focus should be placed on extending the LNTB programme for learners in the Foundation Phase, building on the Pre School programme. • It is imperative that teachers are trained on the LNTB fire safety programme before embarking on teaching the programme to learners. • A longitudinal study will be necessary in order to establish the success of LNTB in preventing fire related accidents • LNTB MUST become part of the main NCS curriculum in order to increase our Nations knowledge of fire safety. Education is a vital tool to save the lives of our children.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Gauteng Department of Education
Institution Type:   Government Department  
Contact Person:   David Makhado
Title:   Director: Education Research and KM  
Telephone/ Fax:   +27 11 355 0560 / +27 86 219 8568
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   jabulile.buthelezi@gauteng.gov.za  
Address:   P.O.Box 7710
Postal Code:   2000
City:   Johannesburg
State/Province:   Gauteng
Country:  

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