Safe Schools can Curtail Kidnapping of Children and Violence in Schools
We chant " Every Child (Boy and Girl ) have the Right to Education ". It is the UNESCO mantra, the Phrase every economy that knows the importance of education uses. However the question of how safe schools are for children have become a basis for concern for economies and development agencies. This is because of the rate of violence and kidnapping of school children. From the Chibok Girls to the Epe boys in Lagos and many other countless stories of kidnap and raping of school girls even minors by their teachers or by terrorist.
It is not enough to put children in schools, it is paramount that their safety in these schools be guaranteed, otherwise the purpose would be defeated because children cannot learn in a violent environment and parents would want to put their children's safety first before education. Ehi Eden a development analyst while speaking on TVC today spoke on the need to prioritise safety in schools to forestall further kidnapping and violence in the schools. He stated that government need to improve security in schools and school owners should ensure their schools are safe, this includes policies that every school both public and private be mandated to foĺlow.
The need to deploy security men/ policemen in schools was also discussed , However weather or not the armed forces would frighten the students more is another question that comes to mind. Also the models from schools in Japan was discussed, where the children were taught safety measures In schools, in case of a natural disaster. We could emulate this model and teach children in schools how to be safe in case of violence and how to speak up when abused. Gradually we are achieving putting every child in schools in fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs), however we should also not forget that these schools need to be safe for quality education and learning to be achieved.
