Save the Children International wants the Federal Government to put in place mechanisms to ensure the protection of schools and other learning environments.
This became necessary as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
A statement signed by the Country Director of the Organization, Mercy Gichuhi, says between 2015-2019 there were 100 reported cases on schools in Nigeria, leading to the closure of many schools by the government due to fear of being attacked.
"From January to August, 2021, over 1000 children were abducted in Nigeria, with so many of them still in the hands of their abductors and recently Save the Children research reveals that on an average, children in low-income countries have lost 66% more of their lifetime schooldays during the pandemic compared with their peers in well-off countries".
According to her, the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, is an important moment to raise awareness on the situation of education in conflict areas and also focus on the Safe Schools Declaration.
“When education is under attack, a generation is attacked. Children, girls and women are more vulnerable at times of attack, putting them at a higher risk of trauma, fear, gender based violence, physical and sexual abuse".
"In Nigeria, the number of out-of-school children, according to UNICEF, was at 10.5million before the effects of the conflict, humanitarian crisis and COVID-19 pandemic were felt With the total or partial closure of schools in Zamfara, Katsina, Adamawa, Kaduna, Niger and other States due to kidnapping and abduction of school children"
The statement identifies Save the Children Girl Champion in Borno State Madina Abdulkadir, as saying that the “Closure of schools also endangers the future of the children looking at the pre-existing structural problems within the education system, including the lack of qualified teachers, school facilities, overcrowded classrooms, lack of teaching materials and others".
As Nigeria hosts the globe at the fourth International Conference on Safe Schools Declaration, it calls on government and international partners to come up with concrete measures to build resilience at the community level and help evolve security measures that would help curb the persistent attack on educational facilities.Julian
