Group worries over incessant kidnappings in schools

The Advocacy Against Negligence In Schools (AANIS), a child health and safety advocacy group focused on raising awareness and monitoring health and safety standards in Nigerian schools, at its annual advocacy summit for heads of schools and proprietors has called for a stricter security measures with the spate of kidnapping in Lagos schools in recent times.

This call was echoed by the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Idiat Adebule, CPIN urges govt to focus on capital projects to tackle economic woes in her address at the summit. Represented by Dr. Mrs Ronke Soyombo, the D.G. Quality Assurance on Education, Lagos State Ministry of Education, she commended AANIS’ commitment to championing the cause for safer environment and better health management systems in schools, but, however, noted that the education sector had in recent times been confronted by a lot of security challenges.

“There is the need to put in place mechanisms that would put a stop to this disturbing trend. There is an urgent need for the development of a conscious plan of action that would birth a National Safe School Policy,” she said.

On her part, wife of the governor of Lagos, Mrs. Abimbola Ambode, who was represented by Mrs. Adejoke Odeyemi, commended the group for their sustained public enlightenment and advocacy for safer environments and better healthcare management systems in schools.

With the theme “Imperative of Safety in Educational Institutions”, the summit had participants from various schools in Lagos and other southwest states. In her welcome address, Executive Director of AANIS, Mrs. Idy Toye-Arulogun, said the event was “designed as a discourse platform for school heads and school owners, who are the decision makers in their schools to rub minds, get trained and put forth arguments that will augur well for education, health and safety of the children in whose care they have been kept in loco parentis.”

She said that AANIS as an advocacy group is “committed to playing an active part in promoting the safety and health of our children in schools through robust, well-articulated and targeted engagements in enlightenment, sensitisation, advocacy, compliance and monitoring of health and safety standards in schools.”