The United Nations (UN) says incessant attacks of schools
and abduction of schoolchildren in Nigeria are threatening the future of the
country.
Edward Kallon, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator
for Nigeria, on Thursday called on the federal government to intensify efforts
to protect students.
Kallon made the call in a statement to mark the 2021
International Day to Protect Education from Attack which is commemorated every
September 9.
“I strongly condemn every form of attack that has kept many
children away from schools. I call on the Federal and State Governments to do
more to protect schools from attack and to ensure that teaching and learning is
safe and conducive in all schools in Nigeria,” he said.
“Whenever teaching and learning is disrupted, the impact on
human capital development is enormous as the recovery period is always tortuous
and longer than the length of the initial disruption.”
“Children are traumatized; parents are scared; teachers and
school administrators are afraid; attacks on schools are gradually spreading to
areas not known to insurgencies. With education under attack, the collective
future of Nigeria is under threat. This must stop now.”
Kallon said Nigeria cannot afford to leave the situation of
incessant attacks on schools to remain unchecked.
He called on the government to take decisive action to
protect education from attack and give “this great nation’s children the chance
to fulfill their promise”.
He added: “With over 10 million children already out of
school, conflict has aggravated the situation and deeply affected education and
the prospects of many young people, especially its most vulnerable ones. In the
last academic year, it is estimated that 1.3 million children have been
impacted by attacks or abductions at schools in Nigeria.
“Across the north-east region alone, over 600,000 children
remain out of school and some 1.1 million need educational support to stay in
school. This has all been compounded by the setbacks due to the COVID-19
pandemic.”
The International Day to Protect Education from Attack is
aimed at raising awareness of the plight of children in conflict-affected areas
growing up without access to education.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com