COVID-19:UN Calls On Nigerian Government To Ensure Safety Protocols Ahead Of School Resumption

         

   The United Nations has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure that safety protocols against the spread of COVID-19 are in place before full reopening of schools.

The global agency stated that about 46 million primary and secondary learners across Nigeria are affected due to pandemic-related school closures.

The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon, stated this in a release he issued on Monday in commemoration of the World International Day to Protect Education from Attack.

The theme for this year Day is: “Protect Education, Save a Generation.”

Mr Kallon indicated that prioritising safety in schools for educators and learners would be a pointer  to the government’s determination to protecting investments in the education sector and a validation of Nigeria’s endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration.

“As State Governments plan to reopen schools after prolonged closures, building a resilient education system to withstand future shocks should be included in pandemic response plans, ” he stated.

“Education is essential to helping crisis-affected communities in the north-east rebuild and recover. Attacks on schools are a direct attack on future generations.

“I call on all parties to the conflict to take all necessary measures to protect education and give learners a chance to build a brighter future,” Mr Kallon stated.

The Nigerian government last week directed Stats Governments and uschool administrators to  start preparations for the full reopening of schools, following the COVID-19 eased lockdown.

The government had in July approved the reopening of schools for exiting students who are currently writing  the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

But the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) at the University of Ibadan, through its chairperson Ayo Akinwole, had criticised the plans to reopen schools, especially universities, without  precautionary measures against COVID-19 in place.

According to PREMIUM TIMES tweet,  about 20 students writing the WAEC exams contracted COVID-19 in Bayelsa State.

Nigerian schools also encounter security challenges. On August 24, seven students and their teacher were kidnapped from their school in Damba-Kasaya village in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

 They were reported to have gone to school to sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE).
The UN humanitarian coordinator indicated that the protracted conflict in many parts of Nigeria and the north-east has had devastating impacts on education.

According to Mr Kallon, attacks on schools, communities and education itself are tragic consequences of a prolonged conflict that has left a generation of children traumatised.

He stated: “From 2009 until December 2018, 611 teachers were killed and 910 schools damaged or destroyed.

“More than 1,500 schools were forced to close and some 2 million children in the north-east are at risk of missing out on an education.

“Hundreds of girls have been abducted, some even from their own schools, which are meant to be safe zones. Notably, many children have been used to act as carriers of person-borne improvised explosive devices.”

He indicated that more than three million children in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe in North-east Nigeria are in need of education emergency support.

In his remarks, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, said protecting education from attack is urgently needed to restore confidence in schools as places of protection for children and teachers, particularly st this challenging times of COVID-19.

“As the world fights to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth in conflict zones remain among the most vulnerable to its devastating impact.

“We must ensure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn the knowledge and skills they need for the future,” he said.

“The UN vehemently condemn any and all attacks on education, including abductions of school children, school-related gender-based violence, herders-farmers clashes, and repurposing of schools for use as isolation centres, IDP camps, markets or for military purposes.”

The UN said incessant attacks on schools and learners might reverse the gains on education investments made by the government of Nigeria, the UN and other multilateral, bilateral, and private sector partners over years.

“Attacks on schools are a violation of humanity and basic decency. We must not allow these senseless attacks to destroy the hopes and dreams of a generation of children. We must do all in our power to ensure that schools and the children and teachers within them are protected,’’ said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.

“As the world begins planning to re-open schools once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we must ensure that schools remain safe places of learning, even in countries in conflict.”

The UN also called for increased funding, indicating that it would go a long way in mitigating the effects of prolonged school closures on learners, especially vulnerable children, like girls and others living with disabilities.

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