Nigerian education stakeholders have issued an urgent call for a unified national framework to enhance school safety, citing the persistent threat of insecurity across the country. The demand was a central outcome of the 7th Annual Summit of the Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN), where participants underscored the critical need for a coordinated approach to protect students and educators.
Among the prominent voices at the summit were Halima Iliya, the National Coordinator for Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, and Jamiu Alli-Balogun, the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education. Their presence highlighted the cross-governmental and multi-stakeholder consensus on addressing the escalating challenges that have plagued the nation’s educational institutions.
The call for a unified framework comes amidst a backdrop of rampant kidnappings, banditry, and other forms of violence that have severely disrupted learning, particularly in Nigeria’s northern states. Fragmented safety protocols and inconsistent implementation have often left schools vulnerable, eroding public confidence in the education system.
Halima Iliya emphasised the necessity of harmonising efforts across federal, state, and local government levels, as well as with private sector and civil society organisations. She noted that while initiatives like the Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria programme are crucial for mobilising resources, their effectiveness is amplified when guided by a singular, coherent national strategy. The programme aims to pool funds and coordinate interventions to fortify school security, but disparate approaches hinder comprehensive impact.
Commissioner Alli-Balogun reiterated Lagos State’s commitment to ensuring secure learning environments but acknowledged that local efforts alone are insufficient to tackle a problem of national scale. He advocated for clear guidelines, standardised infrastructure requirements, and robust intelligence sharing mechanisms that can be adopted uniformly across all states. This, he argued, would prevent criminals from exploiting jurisdictional gaps and ensure a baseline of security for every Nigerian child.
Challenges and Economic Impact of Insecurity
The lack of a unified school safety framework has profound economic and social consequences. In regions heavily affected by insecurity, school closures have become common, leading to significant learning loss and an increase in out-of-school children. This disrupts human capital development, which is critical for Nigeria’s long-term economic growth and stability. Parents, fearing for their children’s lives, often withdraw them from school, exacerbating illiteracy rates and widening social inequalities.
Experts at the summit pointed out that securing schools requires a multi-faceted approach beyond just physical security. It involves community engagement, psychological support for students and teachers affected by trauma, and the integration of technology for surveillance and rapid response. However, funding remains a significant hurdle, with many states struggling to allocate sufficient resources to bolster security infrastructure and personnel.
Previous efforts, such as the Safe Schools Initiative launched following the Chibok abductions in 2014, have provided some respite but have often faced challenges in sustained funding and widespread implementation. The renewed demand for a unified framework now seeks to address these systemic weaknesses, ensuring that security measures are not only reactive but also proactive and sustainable.
The consequences of continued inaction or fragmented efforts are dire, threatening to undo decades of progress in education and deepen the cycle of poverty and instability. A robust, coordinated framework would not only protect lives but also restore confidence in the education system, encourage school enrolment, and ultimately contribute to a more stable and prosperous Nigeria.
Stakeholders anticipate that the discussions and recommendations from the EWAN summit will galvanise policymakers into developing and implementing a concrete national school safety strategy. The immediate next step involves heightened advocacy towards both federal and state governments to prioritise this framework in their policy agendas and budget allocations for the upcoming fiscal year.
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