Insecurity: FG to suspend boarding in rural schools

The Federal Ministry of Education said it is considering the suspension of boarding in rural schools over insecurity.

The government said it is taking measures to ensure the country’s schools are safe and conducive for learning and other activities.

This is just as the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Andrew Adejo, disclosed that it is trying to adopt some specific safety measures that include abolishing boarding schools in rural areas for the meantime owing to insecurity.

Adejo gave the hint in his address at the opening of the 81st plenary meeting of the Joint Consultative Committee on Education, held in Yola, the Adamawa State Capital on Monday.

The JCCE held a meeting themed, “Strengthening Security and Safety in Nigeria Schools for the Achievement of Education 2030 Agenda.”

Adejo urged the council to take bold actions that include the implementation and domestication of the Safe School Declaration initiatives; and the conduct of a vulnerability survey on schools by the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps to enable it to devise strategies that would secure and strengthen the safety of schools.

He also called, for the adoption of some specific safety measures like abolishing boarding schools in rural areas for the meantime, drilling of students and teachers on emergency security measures, construction of perimeter walls around schools and installation of CCTV/ alarm systems in schools, adding that decision on these issues which will be reached at the national council of education meeting holding in October.

The PS said the adoption of these measures was important because of the link between qualitative education and the existence of a peaceful, secure and serene environment for effective teaching and learning.

He said, “The essence of the meeting is to galvanise action of all stakeholders then go to council hopefully by October. We have done all the analysis; we have done all the reviews along with stakeholders.

“We want all our educational institutions to be safe and secure and these are the things we need to do and put in place and that does not mean we are not already doing some things. There are some things that require the highest-level political commitment and for everybody to be on the same page.”

“We are prepared to take our recommendations to the National Council on Education but before then, there are some decisions that will be reached here that would have to be made by the states at some levels where you will see some form of reductions in attacks on all these schools.”