Insurgency: 1,500 Schools Shut in North-east, Says TRCN Boss

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Registrar/Chief Executive, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Prof. Olusegun Ajiboye, yesterday said 2,295 teachers have lost their lives to terrorism and insurgency in the North-east. He said similarly over 1,500 schools have been forced to close down in the region between 2009 and 2022.

Ajiboye  made the disclosure while  speaking at the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) National Delegates Conference, held in Ibadan, Oyo, describing the loss of the teachers as tragic.

According to him, about  1.2 million students require emergency education in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

The TRCN boss also disclosed that over 910 schools have either been damaged or destroyed, noting that the world is grappling with terrorism which has dealt a serious blow on every facet of the economy including education.

While urging the federal government to review its security architecture to address the deteriorating security situation because of its effect on education, he assured to continue to champion the professionalism and welfare of teachers in the country.

He said: “Government should implement fully the safe schools declaration guidelines endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 and ratified by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.”

Ajiboye who lamented that over 600,000 students have lost access to education, said the “attacks on education create a ripple effect, setting in motion range of negative impacts such as loss of education, early marriage,  early pregnancy, and stigma associated with sexual violence and children’s born from rape all of which can dramatically affect female students futures.

“The presence of armed forces in and near schools can make it a target of retaliatory attacks increasing the risk to children and teachers as well as the likelihood that education will be disrupted.”