UNICEF: Insecurity Forces FG to Close 11,536 Schools
* Says terrorists abduct 1,436 students, 17 teachers
Francis Sardauna in Katsina
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday said no fewer than 11,536 schools have been closed by the Nigerian government due to abductions of schoolchildren by terrorists in the country.
UNICEF added that the closure of the schools had truncated the education of approximately 1.3 million Nigerian children in the 2020/2021 academic year.
In a statement issued in Katsina, UNICEF’s Representative in Nigeria, Peter Hawkins, said the interruption of the children’s learning contributes to gaps in their skills and may lead to the loss of $3.4 billion in their lifetime earnings.
He reaffirmed that 1,436 school children and 17 teachers were abducted from their schools, while 16 others lost their lives in 2020 across the country.
According to Hawkins, attacks on schools and abduction of students are reprehensible, a brutal violation of the rights of the victims to education and totally unacceptable.
He said attacks on schools rendered the learning environment insecure and discouraged parents from sending their wards to schools, while the learners themselves became fearful of the legitimate pursuit of their education.
He said: “In Nigeria, a total of 11,536 schools have been closed since December 2020 due to abductions and security issues. These school closures have impacted the education of approximately 1.3 million children in the 2020/21 academic year.
“This interruption of their learning contributes to gaps in children’s knowledge and skills and may lead to the loss of approximately $3.4 billion in these children’s lifetime earnings.”
To tackle the scourge in Katsina, Hawkins said, 300 SBMC members have been trained, and schools, supported through the Girls’ Education Project (GEP3) funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK, have developed emergency preparedness and response plans to mitigate the impact of potential threats.
He added that multi-sectoral task teams on school safety have also been established across all the 34 local government areas of the state to provide timely and efficient networking among actors on school security.
While noting that the team will focus particularly on the safety of girls, Hawkins said 60 junior secondary schools have developed emergency plans and tested the plans in evacuation drills.
