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Experts have in Abuja assessed raising cases of attacks against schools across the country, especially in the Northern part, have said across the case may worsen due to the lack of national policy targeted at protecting children in schools.
Executive Director, Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC, Abiola Afolabi, blamed government for the prevailing situation, saying that threats to safe and secure schools remained a major government must urgently address.
Over 11 million of out of school children, attacks had been launched on a school in Yobe state by insurgents about two days ago where scores of female students were alleged kidnapped. This is following similar cases the Chibok, and other part of the country.
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Afolabi said: “Acknowledging that government bears the main responsibility for the education of students, each and everyone of us has a role to play in ensuring that students learn in a safe, secure and conducive environment.”
To her, some of the reasons are beyond obvious security such as crowded classrooms and hostels, single doors in classrooms and hostels, little or no security personnel.
Afolabi insisted that a national policy on security and safety of school children would go a way to create a long term plan to enable the country mitigate the challenge, which is becoming a global issue.
She stated that there was need for collaborative efforts in addressing the issue.
“There is also low community support and ownership of schools by communities in which they are located. In the face of threats, it is not unusual that communities resort to self-help and form vigilante groups for collective protection,” Afolabi said.
Country Director, Plan International, Hussaini Abdu said the challenges facing the education of children in the country is becoming enormous.
