Stakeholders who attended the Safe Schools Declaration Conference have called for sustainable action towards ensuring safety of educational facilities while children around the world demanded that leaders launch the Children’s Manifesto, reports DAMOLA KOLA-DARE
Its planning was timely; so was its execution. The Safe Schools Declaration Conference provided a platform for stakeholders around the world to fashion policies geared towards making schools safe and conducive for learning.
With the theme: “Ensuring safe education for all: From commitment to practice”, the event, which held recently in Abuja, could not have held at a better time considering the security situation of the country.
In his welcome address, President Muhammadu Buhari noted that the attacks on schools had compounded the issue of out-of-school children. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to tackling insecurity in schools.
He said: “In recent times, all over the world, there has been a myriad of persistent attacks on education and Nigeria is also having its own fair share of attacks.
“The incessant attacks on the country’s education system such as kidnapping, abduction of pupils and students, increased activities of insurgents and general insecurity in our schools have exacerbated many factors responsible for the growing number of out-of-school children.
“You may wish to know that the first known abduction of school children in Nigeria took place in 2014, when 276 girls were taken from the Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno, Northeast Nigeria.
“Since then, attacks on schools and abductions of students have grown in number and spread across the northern part of the country.
“The Nigerian Government is highly committed to prioritising safety in schools to protect investments in the education sector which will validate the endorsement of the safe schools’ declaration.”
The President, who lamented the unending abduction of students, noted that after their release, the trauma of the incidents remained in their minds.
Thus, he canvassed training of teachers on psycho-social support.
UNICEF report
The United Nations Children and Education Fund (UNICEF) said about 1,436 school children and 17 teachers were abducted from Nigerian schools between last December and this October. It noted that about 16 school children lost their lives during their abduction in the same period.
UNICEF representative in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Hawkins, who stated this at the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit Group, NESG in Abuja, lamented that the closure of 11,000 schools truncated the education of 1.3 million children in the country in the 2020/2021 academic calendar.
He said: “Since December 2020, 1,436 school children and 17 teachers have been abducted from schools and 16 school children lost their life.
“But for too many girls and boys, a school is where they experience violence. Bullying, harassment, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and exploitation, corporal punishment and other forms of humiliation can come at the hands of a peer, a teacher or even a school authority. Many children also experience school violence associated with gang culture, weapons and fighting.
“Violence in schools can have serious effects on children’s psychological and physical health. At its most extreme, violence in and around schools can be deadly. For millions of children and adolescents living in conflict-affected areas, school too often becomes the front line. What’s more, violence in school can reduce school attendance, lower academic performance and increase dropout rates. This has devastating consequences for the success and prosperity of children, their families and entire communities.”
More work is required
But beyond lengthy presentations and discussions, stakeholders underscored the need to make the action plan on security effective and sustainable. The Executive Director, Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, Diya Nijhowne, urged leaders not to relent in protecting students, teachers and schools.
“The wrap-up of the conference should not end Nigeria’s global leadership role to protect students, teachers, and schools during conflict. One of the unique aspects of this conference was that it brought together the Foreign Affairs, Defence, and Education ministries to work together on this issue.
“Such conferences should not just be occasions for officials to meet and congratulate themselves. The attacks on education and the military use of schools and universities increased globally by a third in 2020 compared with 2019, while the COVID-19 pandemic forced the prolonged closure of education facilities around the world. So, there is plenty more work to be done,” she said.
Nijhowne also noted that this was the time to ensure the amendment of the Armed Forces Act, and make school buildings unavailable for military use.
“In late 2018, Nigeria’s Education in Emergencies Working Group, led by the Education Ministry, sought an amendment to the Armed Forces Act, proposing that school buildings and premises be made unavailable for military requisitioning. The aftermath of this week’s conference seems ideal timing to work with the Defence Ministry to ensure passage of such an amendment by the National Assembly.
“These three ministries could realistically achieve these goals next year. Doing so would create a legacy for Nigeria’s leadership this week, and be an example of the conference’s overall message that we should continue to turn good words into real action,” she said.
Children appeal to world leaders with manifesto
Children around the world want leaders to deny armies access to schools and ensure paths to schools are free of explosives. This was contained in a Children’s Manifesto launched at the conference.
It was written by 300 children across 10 countries. They are Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Guatemala, Ukraine, Colombia, Mexico, Palestine and Yemen.
In the manifesto, the children wrote: “Children are scared when armies come to schools, arrest children or fire live or rubber bullets at them and when tear gas is used. Children are scared when there are no shelters in their schools or when they are not big enough to protect everyone.
“Children are scared when military equipment passes outside the windows of their schools or houses, and when they hear the sounds of explosions and gunfire. Children are scared when educational institutions are used for military purposes, subjecting young boys and girls, teachers and technical staff at school to constant danger.”
