…as parents of boarding school students in Plateau express fears over children’s safety
Stakeholders in the education sector have warned against the prolonged insurgency and killings across Nigeria, saying the violence is dragging the country’s development backwards.
They expressed concern about the security of students studying in the North, especially against the backdrop of the recent killings in Plateau State.
They argued that such violent incidents constituted a big threat to the development of the country’s education sector.
Looking at the trend of the insurgency and insecurity in parts of the country, particularly in the North, our correspondent observed that the region has been faced with problems such as the abduction of the Chibok and Dapchi school girls and other acts of violence.
Fears are now even rife among stakeholders who have said that the country’s educational system is now faced with threats capable of bringing back the cycle of “inter-generational illiteracy.”
According to reports, the recent killings in Plateau State, where over 200 persons were killed by suspected herdsmen, have become a source of worry to many parents whose children are in boarding schools in the area.
Many of the parents, it was gathered, have been contemplating stopping the schooling of their children and wards in the state for security reasons.
A parent in the state, Mrs. Rita Thompson, said, “I do not know if these schools can consider the lives of our children and operate day system for now? Most times, these killers come in Army uniforms, people see them and run to them, but they do not know that is where they will meet their death. I am heartbroken with the constant killings in Plateau State.”
Another parent, Mrs. Wura Osiago, expressed serious concern about the safety of the students, saying, “Our children will be moved out of schools, if possible. But the question now is, where are they to be moved to? Those that are at home are slaughtered overnight like rams and the roads are unsafe. In those days, we took refuge in the barracks, but not again.”
Findings by our reporter revealed that Usman Bethany Christian Academy in Barkin Ladi, Jos, is one of the schools affected by this crisis. The parents can’t travel to the school to pick their kids and the school can’t evacuate them to town, either. Other affected schools include St John Vianney Seminary and Calvary Production School of Mission in Razat Village.
Speaking on the issue, the National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Biodun Ogunyemi, said, “It is a matter of concern to us as a union. If there is no security in the land, we cannot have a secure environment for learning and research. There was a time the University of Maiduguri was under threat and it was shut down for months.
“We do not think such trends will be allowed to continue because it will jeopardise the image of the country. We have looked at it in so many aspects, in terms of literacy, socio-academic development and other ramifications. Our literacy rate is dropping such that our children are dropping out of school. If this will be allowed to continue, it means that those children will grow up to be illiterates and they are likely to produce illiterates. This means that the cycle of inter-generational illiteracy will continue and as a nation we must work hard to
break it.
“Talking about human development, education is the strongest indices used to access the level of development of a country. You will discover that Nigeria has continued to range low in the world’s socio-economic development. Nigeria will not rank low to the extent of overtaking India but for the level of our education system, which is used to measure development. This will eventually lead to poverty in the country and when you have poverty in the country, politicians will now use the vulnerable ones as thugs because a poor person can be easily
manipulated.”
The ASUU president added that the problem would result in a cycle that would take the country back to serious state of underdevelopment.
“This issue will be a circular issue, insecurity will make dropouts, they become illiterates then become poor, which makes them vulnerable to those willing to perpetrate their status for further insecurity activities. We will then have a cycle of poverty, illiteracy and underdevelopment,” he said.
Speaking in the same vein, a retired lecturer in the Department of French, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya, said, “From what recently happened in Jos, the issue of insurgency is bad. This grinds life to a stop. Who wants to send their children to school, knowing there might be problem? The primary role of the government is to ensure the security of the people. You cannot do anything, if you have the kind of situation in
Jos.
“It is obvious that insecurity is a serious threat. Our education system is bad already; we need to improve it but insecurity is making it
worse.”
Meanwhile, the Spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Education, Mrs. Priscilla Ihuoma, has said that the parents have the freedom to either leave their children and wards in schools in the affected areas or withdraw them.
“If parents want to withdraw their children, it is a free world. I am assuring them that the schools are safe. The Federal colleges and even the private schools are safe,” Ihuoma
said.
