Reputable organizations working on behalf of women’s rights expressed concern on Wednesday about terrorist, kidnapping, and bandit attacks on schools and other learning facilities in Nigeria, claiming that the government’s responses have been inadequate and subpar.
In order to assure complete compliance and the safety of children in schools across the nation, the organization consequently advised the Safe School Declaration’s implementation.
Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the founder and executive director of WARDC, brought up the issue at a meeting with stakeholders on the successful implementation of safe school regulations in Nigeria that was organized in conjunction with the UN Democracy Fund.
Nigeria approved the Safe School Declaration in 2018 to address the issues associated with a lack of safety and security in classrooms.
The government announced and signed a N144.8 billion Safe Schools Financing Plan in the latter days of 2022, stating that it will be executed between 2023 and 2026.
The National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools with its implementation guidelines, adopted in 2021, will be complemented by the plan, the government had previously stated.
The secure school proclamation, according to Akiyode-Afolabi, has not yet been fully implemented in the nation. She said that schools have frequently come under attack from non-state armed groups and are also vulnerable to being shot by the military forces in the course of dealing with security issues.
“This is despite the country’s signing of the Safe School Declaration, a legally binding law domesticating the SSD that will promote effective implementation, enforcement and accountability”, she stated.
Three issues that prevent the SSD from being fully implemented in Nigeria were noted by Akiyode-Afolabi.
She listed them as lacking a legislative framework to realize the SSD, a plan to implement the SSD, and a lack of stakeholder and public awareness, capacity, and network regarding the SSD.
The gender advocate said, “School security is beyond bombing and abduction of school children; some schools are built close to filing stations, some in remote areas difficult to access, while in some, their only form of security can be best described as a gateman, as he can do little or nothing at the time of crisis.
“Schools and learning facilities across the country have been severely under attack from non-state armed groups and are also susceptible to bulleting by the armed forces while responding to security issues.”
“The problem appears intractable due to the lack of adequate responses by the governments, despite the country’s signing of the Safe School Declaration, a legally binding law domesticating the SSD that will promote effective implementation, enforcement and accountability.”
“Over the years, public knowledge of the SSD is still near zero. The SSD is yet to be fully implemented, and schools do not comply with the standard protocols in line with the SSD.,” the WARDC director lamented.
The lack of an efficient and coordinated partnership between the government, CSOs, and other pertinent stakeholders on implementing the SSD programs, according to Akiyode-Afolabi, has been limited, with low budgetary allocations, leading to low demands for accountability from the government. She added that “there is no way we can have a secured school, if it is not appropriately financed.”
Abiola Sanusi, the federal lead for the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigerian Education, voiced dissatisfaction with the lack of information on attacks in schools, stating that this makes it very difficult to hold people accountable.
Sanusi said, “Some schools in Ondo were attacked recently and most people are not aware, so also some students in Niger states have been away from school and no one is asking questions.
”We need to begin to hold government accountable, as the insecurity has made many refuse to send their children to school. We need to safeguard our schools as they are catalysts to drive educational outcome and development.”
Jennifer Nwokedike, Senior Programs/Grant Officer at WARDC, stated that the organization’s effort would increase knowledge of the SSD among important stakeholders in order to mobilize their support for and participation in its implementation.
According to her, the initiative will also strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to demand the establishment of a legal framework to support the implementation of the SSD and to pressure the government to approve a state-level costed/financing implementation plan for the SSD.