Federal Government has adopted measures through the implementation of School Safety Policy to ensure the safety of schools and students.
Minister of State for Education, Goodluck Opiah stated this on Thursday in Abuja at a media briefing to mark this year’s International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
The Minister revealed that necessary procedures in line with international best practices have been deployed to ensure protection of schools and students under a project tagged “School Safety Policy”
Mr Opiah explained that the ministry is committed to the operational terms and guidelines aimed at protecting students, teachers, schools and universities from the worst effects of armed conflict, support the continuation of education/learning even during armed conflicts, implement concrete measures to deter security forces from using schools are military base.
“The federal ministry of education among other strategies promotes school based management committee, designed as a strategy to enlist community participation in the management of education through the initiation, execution, administration and ownership of designated school projects”, Opiah said
He noted that measures have been put in place for safety of students of federal unity schools across the country as school plans for resumption for new academic calendar.
The minister said “the theme this year “Implementing the School Safety Policy as a Tool to protect education from attack; our Collective Responsibility ” was devised by the ministry to create awareness on the existence of the School Safety Policy and the need for state governments, education institutions, stakeholders, civil society organisations, the military, and the general public to operationalize the guidance therein.
He said the School Safety Policy highlights the strategies for emergency preparedness in education institutions, measures for harm reduction, stakeholders to contact for help on case of imminent attack, deterrence of the military from using education institutions and procedures to ensure that education continues if the attack is inevitable.
RN