A signboard of the Government Girls Secondary School is pictured after over 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped by bandits in Jangebe, a village in Zamfara State, northwest of Nigeria on February 27, 2021. – More than 300 schoolgirls were snatched from dormitories by gunmen in the middle of the night in northwestern Zamfara state on February 26, in the third known mass kidnapping of students since December.
The recent kidnapping of nearly 300 students from the Government Girls Science Secondary School in Jangebe, Zamfara State, which ended with their release, was the second mass kidnap from schools in less than 10 days.About $30million dollars reportedly was raised for the safe school initiative, which started in 2014, with support from the United Nations Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, to help secure schools across the country.
Asked what the ministry was doing to ensure the safety of students, he responded: “How do we give assurance to people on what we are not responsible for? Such clarification cannot come from us; it should come from the Police, it should come from the civil defence. He stated that the 279 girls abducted, but later freed, in Zamfara State, are in that school because it is for girls and has served the purposes of two councils in the state.
He said it is very difficult to advise parents of any child regarding schooling or security or insecurity, as it is a very personal decision. But he added that it is incumbent upon the state, the media and the local authorities to create an atmosphere where students, parents and teachers to feel that their academic environment is safe.
“Community relations are critical to help the schools develop their own security and develop their contact with the community and ensure that students and parents feel confident that the school is delivering.” While lamenting that schools are seemingly unsafe for girls, as the abduction would give parents undue justification to force their girl-child into an early marriage, it called on government to prioritise improved security for children in schools, stressing the need for security agencies to adopt intelligence, power and non-financial negotiation to bring back the remaining Chibok girls and Leah Sharibu.
Fatima Isah, on her part, said: “I was demoralised; I felt bad with the attitude of those in authority. They must do the needful by protecting our children we entrusted in their hands by accommodating them well, protect the school environment and provide adequate security.”
Nigeria Latest News, Nigeria Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.