By Ozioma Onyenweaku
The Safe Schools Declaration is an international commitment that advocates support for protection of students, teachers and schools during armed conflict.
The Safe Schools Declaration emerged from The Third International Conference on Safe Schools hosted by the government of Spain with the support of governments of Argentina and Norway held in Oslo Norway in May 2015.
It aims at strengthening the global resolve to end attacks on students, teachers and schools by armed conflicts. By 2019, 100 Countries had signed and ratified the Declaration. Nigeria is one. As at February 18, 2021, 107 countries have endorsed the declaration.
It was on 20th March 2019 that the President of Nigeria ratified the Safe Schools Declaration. By signing the Declaration, Nigeria made a public declaration that attacks on schools has become unacceptable to the country. And by ratifying the said Declaration, Nigeria has declared that it is bound to keep all the principles of the declaration, and ensure to put in place a national policy to guide the implementation of the Declaration nationwide to protect children from attacks in schools and ensure their education continues without hindrance at all times.
This recent attack at the Government Science College in Kagara in Niger State of Nigeria has shown that as the insecurity in the country persists, schools and school children have remain the huge targets by these armed bandits and terrorists.
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There has been a crying need for this kind of commitment from government to safeguard education given the incessant attacks on schools and the abduction of school children in Nigeria. The Safe Schools Declaration recognizes attacks on education to include violence against educational facilities, and abduction of students and educational personnel.
It was in 2014 that we woke up to the news that about 276 girls were abducted from their school in Chibok. About hundred of the girls were released in a Prisoner Swap deal between the abductors and the government. In this deal, five Boko Haram Commanders were released in exchange for the hundred young innocent girls. Till date the rest of the Chibok girls are still not rescued.
In February 2014 dozens of students were reported murdered at Federal Government College, Buni Yadi in Yobe State.
Four years after the abduction of the Chibok girls, and precisely in February 2018, about 110 school girls, ages of 11 & 19, were kidnapped from Government Girls Science & Technical College, Dapchi in Yobe State. Two of the girls were found dead; while 104 were freed after the payment of ransom.
Some other schools in Nigeria have suffered similar attacks in Lagos State, Ogun State, Zamfara State, and others.
With the ratification of the Safe Schools Declaration by Nigeria, living up to its obligation under the Safe School Declaration would have propelled very proactive actions towards keeping the schools safe. No!; yet again on Friday December 11 2020 school boys from Government Secondary School in Kankara Katsina State were abducted. And also on 17th February 2021 in an attack on Government Science College, Kagara, Niger State, over 40 people comprising of school children, teachers and other staff and family members were abducted.
More educational facilities are being threatened by the bandits and Boko Haram, and schools have been closed thereby depriving hundreds of thousands of Nigerian children their right to education. For fear for their lives many students and teachers in certain areas shy away from schools.
This recent attack at the Government Science College in Kagara in Niger State of Nigeria has shown that as the insecurity in the country persists, schools and school children have remain the huge targets by these armed bandits and terrorists.
By ratifying the Declaration, Nigeria agrees with the Safe School Declaration’s position as stated in its preamble:
“Recognizing the right to education and the role of education in promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, determined progressively to strengthen in practice the protection of civillains in armed conflict, and of children and youth in particular; committed to working together towards safe schools for all …”; and agrees among other things to:
- Use the guidelines and bring them into domestic policy and operational frameworks as far as possible and appropriate
- Investigate allegations of violations of applicable national and international law, and duly prosecute perpetrators
- Seek the ensure the continuation of education during armed conflict, support the re-establishment of educational facilities and where in a position to do so, provide and facilitate international cooperation and assistance to programs working to prevent or respond to attacks on education, including for the implementation of this Declaration…
May the recent abduction of our school children awaken in our leaders the greater sense of responsibility to do the needful towards the implementation of the Safe School Declaration; to do their utmost to ensure safety at schools at all times.
Our schools must be kept safe so we do not kill education.