Soji Ajibola, Ibadan
A total of1,500 schools have been shutdown between 2009 and 2022 in the North East as a result of the ongoing insurgence in the North East.
This was disclosed by the Registrar/Chief Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, Professor Olusegun Ajiboye at the Nigerian Union of Teachers delegate conference in Abuja on Thursday.
He recalled that a total number of 2,295 teachers were killed during the period in the North East due to terrorism and insurgency.
Prof Ajiboye added that over 910 schools have either been damaged or destroyed.
He noted with dismay that insurgency has dealt devastating blow on the education sector.
He said that the world is grappling “with terrorism which has dealt a serious blow on every facet of the economy including education”.
He, however, promised to continue to champion professionalism and welfare of Nigerian teachers.
He urged the Federal Government to review its security architecture to address the “deteriorating security situation because of its effect on education”
“Government should implement fully the safe schools declaration guidelines endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 and ratified by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019”.
Professor Ajiboye lamented that over 600,000 youths have lost access to formal education saying “the attacks on education create a ripple effect, setting in motion a range of negative impacts such as loss of education, early marriage, early pregnancy, and stigma associated with sexual violence and children’s born from rape all of which can dramatically affect female students futures”.
TRCN boss hinted that 1.2million people require emergency education in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
“The presence of armed forces in and near schools can make it a target of retaliatory attacks increasing the risk to children and teachers as well as the likelihood that education will be disrupted”,