FG Makes Move To Curb School Abductions, Unveils New Safety Measure Nationwide

The Federal Government has unveiled new measures to tackle school abductions, insecurity, and other emerging threats to basic education across the country.

Naija News reports that the Executive Secretary (ES), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Aisha Garba, disclosed this in Kano on Monday at a three-day training programme on the revised School-Based Management Committees (SBMC) operational documents for stakeholders from the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

It said issues of school safety, education in emergencies, climate change and gender-based violence have now been incorporated into key operational guidelines for SBMC documents to strengthen community participation in protecting schools and ensuring uninterrupted learning.

Represented by the head of Community Engagement and Social Mobilisation at the commission, Patricia Uche, the ES said rising cases of banditry, kidnapping and attacks on schools informed the review.

“One of the major updates is education in crisis. We are talking about recent cases of banditry, kidnapping and other security challenges affecting schools and communities,” she said.

Uche explained that the revised guidelines would help mobilise communities to play more active roles in protecting schools and supporting efforts to keep children in classrooms.

“We have also introduced safe school initiatives because many public primary schools are not fenced and remain vulnerable. We want communities to become more involved in identifying risks and advocating measures that will make schools safer for learners and teachers,” she added.