By CLEMENT IDOKO, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari has revealed that the persistent attacks on educational facilities and abductions of students and teachers have left more than 12 million children currently traumatized and afraid of going to school especially the girl-child.

He, however, reiterated the commitment of his administration to the safety and protection of schools in the country, vowing to overhaul the educational system not just to improve on the quality but ensure the provision of a secured environment for learners and teachers.

Buhari who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, spoke at the 4th International Conference on Safe Schools Declaration which has the theme: “Ensuring Safe Education for All: From Commitment to Practice, held in Abuja on Monday.

He lamented that in recent times, all over the world, there has been a myriad of persistent attacks on education and Nigeria is also having its own fair share of these attacks.

He said: “The incessant attacks on the country’s education system such as kidnapping, abduction of pupils/students, increased activities of insurgents and general insecurity in our schools have exacerbated many factors responsible for the growing number of out-of-school children.

“It is no longer news that at will, bandits, kidnappers and terrorists invade our educational facilities to abduct the learners in large numbers. Some places that have been hit by this menace include Chibok, Dapchi, Buni Yadi, Afaka, Kagora, and Jangebe in Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara states respectively.”

The president said it was disheartening to note that even when the abducted students were released, the trauma of the incident remain long in their minds hence the plan to have teachers trained on psychosocial support.

He recalled that the first known abduction of school children in Nigeria took place in 2014, when 276 girls were taken from the Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State, North-East Nigeria, saying since then, attacks on schools and abductions of students have grown in number and spread across the northern part of the country.

Buhari said: “Permit me to share with you a report released by S.B Morgen which revealed that a total of 1,462 learners and education personnel were abducted between 1st December 2019 and September 2021 in school-related abductions as well as home and community-related abductions of Learners and teachers.

“The highest number of abduction in a single kidnap (327 learners) was recorded in Zamfara while Kaduna has experienced the greatest number of incidences of attack on education. Out of 19 educational institutions attacked, 12 representing 63%, were secondary schools while five which represented 26% were within the tertiary educational system.

“Non-formal education was not spared from attack as about 200 students of Islamiyya School, Tegina in Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State were reportedly abducted on Sunday on the 30th of May 2021: sadly the life of one learner was lost. A total of 17 lives of teachers and learners have been lost in these abductions.

“On the other hand, for learners currently in school the fear and trauma created by having their fellow students and friends attacked, has impacted negatively on the quality of schooling as concentration and attention span for learning in such conditions have certainly waned.

“School closures due to abductions and security issues have impacted out of school and the wider implication of the foregoing is that of a generation of negativity on our education system.

“There are more than 12 million children currently children traumatized and afraid of going to school especially the girl child,” he said.

He noted that it has been tough dealing with the security challenges and their effect, stressing that moving forward, the faith in the nation is unshaken.

“We have been strong, determined and robust in order to enhance the security of learning institutions and the occupants therein.

“The Nigerian Government is highly committed to prioritizing safety in schools to protect investments in the education sector which would validate the endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration (an inter-governmental political agreement that outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attacks and restrict the use of schools and universities for military purposes),” he said.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, in his welcome address said the objective of the conference was to build on experiences from the previous ones, highlight’ progress made by respective countries on the implementation of the declaration’s commitments, share best practices and deliberate on challenges to Improve the relevant approaches that would enhance the protection of learners, education personnel and educational institutions. (Nigerian Tribune)

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