Safety Paramount in Reopening of Schools, UN Tells FG

MichaelOlugbodeinMaiduguri

The United Nations (UN) has called on Nigeria to prioritise school safety and learners’ protection over any consideration in reopening of schools after a long closure that was caused by the spread of COVID-19 pandemic disease.

A statement by the UNs’ office in Nigeria said that safeguarding education from attack is urgently needed to restore confidence in schools as places of protection for children and teachers.

The statement, which was issued yesterday, noted that this is particularly pressing in light of COVID-19, which affected 46 million primary and secondary learners across Nigeria due to pandemic-related school closures.

A quote in the statement, which was attributed to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Edward Kallon, said: “As state governments plan to reopen schools after prolonged closures, building a resilient education system to withstand future shocks should be included in pandemic response plans.”

Kallon noted that prioritising safety in schools for educators and learners is an indication of the government’s commitmenttoprotectinginvestments in the education sector and a validation of Nigeria’s endorsement of the “Safe Schools Declaration.”

He said that while the world marks the first-ever International Day to Protect Education from Attack under the theme “Protect Education, Save a Generation” more than threemillion children in the conflict- affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe in North-eastNigeria are in need of education-in- emergency support.