Nigeria has renewed its pledge to make schools secure spaces for children and teachers, marking the 2025 International Day to Protect Education from Attack with a call for stronger action to keep classrooms safe.
At a ceremony in Abuja, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, Abel O. Enitan represented by the Director of Human Resource Management, Dr. Saheed Yusuf said insecurity in schools “must never be accepted,” stressing that every child deserves the right to learn in peace and every teacher the freedom to work without fear.
The event spotlighted Nigeria’s Safe Schools Programme, a national initiative designed to protect students and educators from violence. Director of Schools Safety, Hussaini Aliyu Abdullahi, noted that safeguarding schools is a shared responsibility and revealed that the ministry is shifting from reactive responses to proactive measures to prevent attacks before they occur.
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Ms. Amy Oyekunle of the UK-funded FCDO-PLANE project underscored that “education is a right, not a privilege,” applauding the resilience of learners and teachers while urging collective action to make schools true sanctuaries of learning.
UNICEF’s Chief of Education in Nigeria, Vanessa Lee, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting safe and resilient schools. She highlighted the importance of teacher training, active community participation, and strong partnerships between government and development partners as key to protecting education.
The renewed pledge comes as Nigeria continues to face threats to schooling from banditry, insurgency and other forms of violence. By moving from emergency reactions to preventive planning, the government and its partners aim to safeguard the country’s education system and guarantee that children can pursue learning without fear.
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