United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has supported Jigawa and other 14 Nigerian states, to domesticate the Safe School Policy.
Mr Muttaka Muktar, the Education Specialist UNICEF Kano Field Office, disclosed this at the inauguration of Jigawa state Committee on Safe School in Dutse, on Friday.
He said that with UNICEF’s support, some states have developed implementation plans and would need to scale up the domestication process.
He explained that Nigeria has experienced several attacks on education infrastructure, especially in the North-Eastern states.
“The attacks are more intense in recent times, with increased cases of abduction of school children and payment of ransoms either by the government or parents.
“More than 910 schools have been destroyed by non-state actors and at least 1,500 have been forced to close down.
“Armed groups have targeted approximately 1,500 schools since 2014, leading to the abduction of at least 1,413 students and 21 teachers, resulting in 16 fatalities.
“At least 867 schools remain closed across Nigeria, but there has been a gradual year-on-year improvement,” the Specialist said.
He explained that to protect education from attacks, the Nigerian government endorsed the Safe School Declaration (SSD) in 2015.
He added that former President Muhammadu Buhari signed the SSD Ratification Document in December 2019.
This, he said, has indicated Nigeria’s commitment to upholding the principles of the SSD and to further protect schools from attacks, the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools was approved in August 2021.
The Jigawa state Commissioner for Education, Prof. Isa Yusuf-Chamo, inaugurated the committee and tasked them to be committed and hardworking.
He said that the Committee was set up by the state Governor, Umar Namadi, based on members relevance and records of hardwork and dedication to duty.
The committee, he said, would have representation from the education, finance, security, local governments, civil society organisations, development partners, traditional institutions and other critical stakeholders.
A member of the committee, the Executive Secretary State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Haruna Mairiga, commended UNICEF for the development.
He also commended the commitment of Namadi towards development and restructuring of education in Jigawa.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 32-man committee will begin its function immediately, with its terms of reference developed by the state and UNICEF. (NAN).
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