UNICEF noted that Nigeria ratified the Secure Schools Declaration, however that schools and college students aren’t sufficiently protected.
It mentioned except higher consideration is given to defending children, lecturers and colleges, would proceed to come back beneath attack by bandits.
UNICEF demanded pressing and coordinated action by the Federal Authorities to safeguard the correct to study for every little one in Nigeria.
The UN agency disclosed that 11, 536 faculties had been shut down since December 2020 on account of abductions and safety issues, and that this had impacted the training of roughly 1.3 million youngsters within the 2020/21 educational 12 months.
Additionally, throughout the identical interval, it mentioned 1,436 faculty youngsters and 17 lecturers had been kidnapped from faculties, and 16 of them misplaced their lives.
UNICEF Nation Consultant, Peter Hawkins, acknowledged this at an occasion to mark the eighth anniversary of the kidnapping of 276 college students at Authorities Women’ Secondary Faculty Chibok, Borno State.
“Unsafe faculties, occasioned by assaults on faculties and abduction of scholars are reprehensible, a brutal violation of the rights of the victims to training, and completely unacceptable. Their occurrences lower quick the futures and desires of the affected college students.
“Assaults on these establishments render the educational setting insecure and discourage dad and mom and caregivers from sending their wards to varsities, whereas the learners themselves change into scared of the reliable pursuit of studying. The invisible hurt faculty assaults inflict on the victims’ psychological well being is incalculable and irredeemable,” Hawkins mentioned.
He famous that collaboration is vital to addressing insecurity and urged the federal government to accentuate efforts to encourage women’ training by retaining faculties secure.
