As the world marks the second International Day to Protect Education from Attack, Save the Children says it is concerned about the persistent attack on schools, students and teachers in Nigeria.
A statement signed and made available to newsmen by the Media and Communication Manager Mr Kunle Olawoyin explained that according to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, between 2015-2019, there were 100 reported attacks on schools in Nigeria.
He said these attacks have been on the increase between 2020 and 2021, which led to the close down of many schools by the government due to fear of being attacked.
He said From January to August, 2021, over 1000 children were abducted in Nigeria, with so many of them still in the hands of their abductors.
Mr Kunle Olawoyin pointed out that, in a recently released Save the Children’s report, Build Forward Better, the DRC, Nigeria, Somalia, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Sudan, Mali, and Libya have education systems that are at ‘extreme risk’ while Syria and Yemen follow closely behind.
According to him, the new data, which is the first of its kind, follows recent Save the Children research, which found that on 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.
Olawoyin said according to UNICEF, number of out of school children was at 10.5 million before the effects of the conflict, humanitarian crisis and COVID-19 pandemic were felt.
He added that, 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 number of children that would be prevented from accessing education in Nigeria could be on the increase.
The International donor partners therefore urged federal and state governments to put in place mechanisms that ensure the protection of schools and other learning environments.
Mr Kunle Olawoyin said the Save the Children International is looking forward to seeing government and international partners coming up with concrete measures to build resilience at the community level, evolved security measures that will help curb the persistent attack on educational facilities including the children and their teachers.
It also called on international partners and the federal Government to increase investment in education to address the multi-faceted factors affecting education in Nigeria.
Usman Mohammed Zaria