IA-Foundation and Peace and Social Justice have unveiled a report on the reality of insecurity stranglehold on the Nigerian education sector.
IA-Foundation is a UK-based educational charity which was setup to reduce the number of out-of-school children in Nigeria While PSJ-UK is a UK-based advocacy NGO of diasporans and friends of Nigeria who are committed to peacebuilding and social justice in Nigeria.
The realities are contained in the report recently launched at the Jubilee Room of the House of Parliament, London, United Kingdom.
The Founder, IA-Foundation, Ibironke Adeagbo described Education as the cornerstone of nation’s development, fostering critical thinking, opportunity, and a brighter future.
She, however, stated that the cornerstone is under siege, noting that Schools once regarded as safe havens for learning have become targets of violence and terror.
Adeagbo explained that Nigeria has been grappling with a pervasive and deeply troubling phenomenon: the alarming escalation of insecurity within its education sector over the last 10 years, since the 2014 Chibok school girl’s abduction.
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Meawhile, She expressed excitement about the new appointment of Retired General Ja’afar as the Executive Director of the newly commissioned Alamajiri and out of school children commission, looking forward to working with the commission.
Adeagbo added that they are looking forward to the senate bill being discussed to penalise parents who do not send their children/ward to school.
Speaking also, The Chief Executive Officer, PSJ-UK, Ayo Adedoyin noted that every year since 2014, hundreds of innocent children in primary and secondary schools across the nation are snatched away, their dreams held hostage for ransom.
Ayo said Children have become victims to a harrowing cycle of kidnapping and ransom demands.
According to him, many die and never return, the weight of this fear has forced numerous schools to close their doors, leaving a generation in the shadows of an uncertain future.
In the Report, the NGOs proposed recommendations aimed at safeguarding schools, restoring a sense of safety, and ensuring that every child in Nigeria has the chance to learn and thrive.
In his presentation, The Lead Speaker, Chief Executive Officer, Halogen Group, Wale Olaoye said institutionalization of education as a form of prevention and tool of personal, political and social transformation is strategically vital to the possibilities of establishing lasting peace in Nigeria.
Wale, who spoke on the theme: Nigeria: Illiteracy and Insecurity, suggested that Comprehensive and sustained integration of educational interventions into the whole of society is more likely to yield transformative results.
According to him, Lifelong learning is essential to supporting the full development of the person, and nurturing capacity development throughout life to respond to emergent threats in a changing world.
A Conservative Member of Parliament, United Kingdom, Fiona Bruce MP, lauded the efforts of both NGOs, assuring the report will be presented to the Minister of State of the United Kingdom for Developmeent and Africa, Andrew Mitchell.
According to her, the importance of education cannot but be overemphasized and such is imperative for any growing nations with such an alarming rate of out-of-school children like Nigeria.
