Safe School Initiative: Unending Attack On
Over 1,000 Pupils Kidnapped, 600 Schools Shut, 5million School children Displaced
Just months after 276 girls were kidnapped from Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State on April14 2014, the Federal Government partnered with stakeholders to set up a Safe School Initiative as a quick response to the crisis and as well as prevent a reoccurrence of the attack and kidnap of schoolchildren.
But ten years after the initiative, Nigeria is still grappling with attacks on schools, as well as kidnap of pupils and students. The country is also experiencing an increase in the attack of schools across the country. GBENGA SALAU writes that the Safe Schools Initiative has failed to fly with the repercussion of increased attacks and kidnap of pupils across the country.
THE Safe Schools Initiative was launched at the World Economic Forum on Africa in Nigeria in 2014, by a coalition of Nigerian business leaders, working with the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown, the Global Business Coalition for Education and A World at School.
It was set up in response to the growing number of attacks on right to education, including the kidnapping of more than 200 girls at Chibok. The initiative sought to improve the protection and safety of students, family members and teachers focusing on rehabilitating the security infrastructure at schools and establishing community- orientated security concepts, transferring students from high risk areas to safe schools and providing complementary trauma counselling and providing education for internally displaced persons in camps and communities.
Of note is that the Federal Government launched the Safe Schools Fund as an initial responsewith a contribution of $ 10million and another $ 10million pledge from the private sector, with the Ministry of Finance managing the fund.
The contributions from Federal Government and private sector were to be complemented by the establishment of Nigeria Safe Schools Initiative Multi- Donor Trust Fund ( MDTF) for UN support, co- financing and implementation of activities pertaining to the initiative.
It seemed to have kicked- off well with some positive result because by March 2015, a total of 750 pupils were moved to boarding schools in safe parts of the country, where they were able to continue their education.
Thereafter, the project began to lose steam, an evidence of this is the recent abduction of 280 students and teachers in Kuriga, Kaduna State on March 7, 2024. This was aside the over 1400 pupils and students that have been allegedly kidnapped in Northern Nigeria since the 2014 incident in Chibok. No definite figure on the number that had been killed by their abductors, while over 200 of the pupils and students are still being held captive. As a result of these attacks, not less than 615 schools have been shut, with about 5.3 million pupils displaced.
A renewal of the initiative in 2022 has been motion without movement when the Federal Government in December 2022 launched N144.8b Safe Schools Financing Plan with a view to protecting schools from terrorist attacks across the nation. The then Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, had stated that the plan would be implemented between 2023 and 2026.
Before April 2014 incident, attacks on schools and kidnap of pupils or students were not common in Nigeria. However, since the kidnap of 276 schoolgirl sin Chibok, pupils and students have become regular target for abduction. Shocking ly, it seemed governments at all levels are tolerating the bandits.
The Zamfara State government, for instance, recently pardoned the mastermind of the abduction of more than 300 students in Katsina State in December, Auwalu Daudawa and his gang, after they claimed they had repented. Daudawa and his gang were not only pardoned, they were promised accommodation as well as assistance to improve their livelihoods.
There are other instances within states in the north, where those responsible for the kidnap of school children or attack on schools are somewhat celebrated.
Ten years after such an intentional step was launched, why the constant kidnap of pupils and attacks on schools, a Public Policy and Advocacy expert, Adewale Adeduntan, noted that insurgency and instability in certain regions, such as the Northeast and Northwest have created conducive environment for such attacks by militant groups like Boko Haram and armed bandits.
He also added that there is a lack of adequate security infrastructure and resources in many schools, making them vulnerable targets, additionally, corruption and ineffective governance have hindered the implementation of comprehensive security measures and the prosecution of perpetrators, perpetuating a cycle of violence and impunity.
Adeduntan further said social and economic factors, including poverty and lack of access to education, contribute to the vulnerability of students and exacerbate the risk of attacks on schools.
“Addressing these multifaceted challenges requires a coordinated effort involving government authorities, security agencies, civil society organisations, and communities to strengthen security measures, improve governance, and address the root causes of insecurity.”
While some applauded the initiative, some others argued that it has failed to make impact because the schools cannot be isolated from the society. So, they argued that the focus should have been on creating a safe society rather than solely on the Safe School Initiative.
Adeduntan said that the argument holds merit, because while the Safe School Initiative aimed to enhance security measures specifically within educational institutions, it is essential to recognise that schools exist within the broader context of society.
“Therefore, ensuring the safety of schools is inherently linked to creating a safe and secure environment for all members of society.
“Addressing issues such as poverty, unemployment, social inequality, and corruption is crucial for promoting overall societal stability and safety, which in turn contributes to the protection of schools and students. By adopting a holistic approach that prioritises the safety and well- being of communities, including schools, initiatives can effectively address the underlying factors that contribute to insecurity and violence.
According to him, investing in education, social services, and infrastructure not only enhances the resilience of schools but also fosters a more inclusive and equitable society where all individuals can thrive.
“Therefore, while the Safe School Initiative is valuable, efforts to create a safe society must encompass broader initiatives that address the root causes of insecurity and promote sustainable development and peacebuilding,” Adeduntan stated.
There are civil- military operations in all the states of Nigeria, aside from the police and civil defence corps, yet these schools are constantly being attacked with some claiming security agencies are complicit.
Those pushing this narrative argued that bandits and kidnappers attack schools and abduct pupils and students in an operation that take hours including moving the kidnapped pupils across locations for hours, yet the military operations usually do not show up until the bandits have left and out of sight with a huge number of pupils abducted.
For instance, after the Chibok incident, the frequency and