By; SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri
As the world commemorates tenth anniversary of the 276 abducted Chibok schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents, UNICEF in collaboration with other partners has organized a panel discussion on school safety for students/children to mark the tenth anniversary of the abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls 10 years ago.
The symposium was jointly organized by UNICEF, Plane International, CATAI, UKAID, COSFOD, BOSG and Education in Emergencies held at the El Kanemi Hall of University of Maiduguri on Wednesday.
In his opening remarks, the Executive Director of Center for Advocacy, Transparency and Accountability Initiative (CATAI), Abubakar Mua’zu said the aim of the symposium/panel discussion is to chart a way forward for the safety and protection of children in schools.
He added that the symposium was also targeted at reflecting on what happened to the innocent students learning and the past students plight, safety issues, solutions and suggestions on how students can be safe or protected in schools, have access to quality education and learning environment, as well as how schools environment can safer for learning
He urged all to be involved and make contributions in the overall interest and benefit of both the students, staff, parents and guardians, as well as government and other stakeholders
The panel of discussants from security agencies, UNICEF representative, Education Secretary Mafa, representative, Education Secretary Kaga representative, Executive Director CATAI representative, SEMA Chairman representative, NSCDC representative and Vigilante Group representative, suggested that there is need for security alerts or safety awareness in all schools by educating and enlightening the students, staff and visitors to the schools on where to go and what to do in cases of emergencies.
They also noted that despite the existing improvement in security provision in most schools, efforts should be made to ensure strict compliance to rules and regulations stipulated in all schools by the authorities for students, staff and visitors to the schools.
The panel of discussants further observed that there is need for more investments in safety or security in schools, although most schools are safer today than 10 years ago, through safety auditing which requires checks and balances of security or safety lapses.
It was further suggested that there is the need to strengthen the capacity of school human resources management and ensure sustainability of the capacity building.
It was also suggested that there is need to increase the level of advocacy, coordination and management of education of children towards improving the educational status, including carrying advocacy to the doorsteps of the government, involvement of everyone and ensuring everybody is committed, schools development and safety, trainings schools emergency management for every member of the school environment.
They recommended that from the lessons experienced, measures were suggested to be adopted to increase school enrollment, accessibility of schools, upgrading of schools from junior to senior schools through advocacy and sensitization, encouragement of sending children to schools by parents and guardians.
The discussants also called on the government and private school owners to always liaise and contact security agencies by way of involving security agents in policy formulation and trainings and restraint on hostile environment, first aid and self defence by boosting the awareness of the students, staff, parents and guardians as community members
They suggested for the full implementation of save school declaration by all school authorities as the document contains all the necessary potions and measures as well as responsibilities of all in terms of safety measures around school environment or community environment, stressing that, “it is everybody’s job”.
Traditional rulers also appealed to the government and owners of private schools to allow the traditional institution to be involved and participate in the establishment of schools, recruitment of teachers and staff and enrollment of children in order to shun engaging miscreants and criminals to avoid abuse of women human rights, girl child rights and sexual violence among others.
It would be recalled that on the night of April 14, 2014, during the students final year SSSCE examinations in the school premises of Government Girls Secondary School (GGSS) Chibok in Chibok LGA of Borno State, gunmen invaded the school and whisked away almost all the students in school studying for their exams and assembled them forcefully before bringing vehicles to move them out of the school premises to unknown destination in the Sambisa Forest, while only a few escaped and took to hiding in the bush before they were later found or rescued.
