5 Tips to keep children safe during the 2025 academic year
With the start of the school year, many parents are concerned for their children's safety, here is what you can do.

As learners are returning to school with the start of the new school year, Fidelity Services Group gave some advice on how to keep children safe.
Charnel Hattingh, group head of communications and marketing said, “We wish all learners the best for the new year, especially those who are going to school for the first time. We hope you enjoy every moment of it.”
She noted parents and caregivers are concerned about children getting to school and back safely.
“It boils down to making sure your children know exactly how to avoid possible danger and also what they must do in case something bad happens to them,” said Hattingh.
She shared a few personal security tips:
• Remember, your parents would never send someone you don’t know to fetch you. Never get into a stranger’s car even if they claim someone you love is hurt and that they are supposed to pick you up. It is a good idea to consider using a password system to ensure the person collecting you is a friend of your parents or someone you can trust.
• Children must always walk to or from school with a friend or friends. If your child walks alone, it’s a good idea to ask a teacher or other parents if they know of other children from the area who do the same. Some towns have started ‘walking buses’, where local parents volunteer to walk to and from school with a group of schoolchildren to assure their safety.
• Stick to streets you know and never take shortcuts through unfamiliar or quiet areas.
• If you get picked up at school, always wait inside the grounds for your lift to arrive; do not leave the premises to go and look for them in the street.
• If a stranger approaches you, do not talk to them no matter how friendly they may seem. If someone tries to grab you, fight, kick and scream that they are not your mom or dad.
She added some children have to look after themselves by going to and from school and then occupy themselves until their parents arrive home.
If this is the case, Hattingh advised: “It is important that children know not to let anyone into the house without your permission. If you are going to be late, let your children know as soon as possible and give them an idea of when they can expect you to be home.”
She added drawing up a list of important telephone numbers including emergency services and parents’ work and cellphone numbers.
“Save it on your child’s phone and stick it on or near the landline. It’s also important to explain to them when these should be used,” she stated.
Further, everyone in the household should know how to use the home security system, including the children, as well as know-how and when to use the panic buttons.