By Omowumi Samuel.
Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari, has vowed to place safety and equity in the educational sector as the topmost in his administration.
The President revealed this at the 4th international conference on the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) held at ECOWAS sectariat in Abuja.
President Buhari, who was represented by the Chief of staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, explained that the conference was set to strengthen and protect the educational sector from attacks, and consequently, restrict the use of schools for military purposes.
He added that the conference, which is scheduled to run from 25-27 October, “stands to systematically develop strategies and mechanisms to protect education with the help of the SSD framework”.
This year’s theme, ‘Ensuring Safe Education for All: From commitment to practice’, implores the 111 SSD endorsing states, which is purely occupied by the UN member state, to intensify their efforts in providing safe environment for teaching and learning process to continue.
Being the first to be held in the African continent, the President further called for universal endorsement of the Declaration and charges the SSD non-endorsing States to urgently make move to safe guard their educational systems.
He also noted that Nigeria was among the first group of 37 countries that endorsed SSD on the 29th May, 2015.
Buhari reaffirmed that his administration primarily sought to protect and ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all learners.
According to him, the nation is committed to observing all relevant intervention protocols conventions and treaties for the protection of institutions and facilities from attacks and unfavourable vices.
Also, the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, recalled in his address of welcome that the Safe School Declaration(SSD) was championed by Norway and Argentina, through a consultative process that paved way for its endorsement in 2015.
The minister emphasized that most countries of the world are facing the challenges of attacks on the educational systems, which Nigeria is not exempted.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Arc. Sonny Echono, in his goodwill message, assured that Nigeria remained committed to the Safe Schools Declaration and its guidelines to safe guard the educational sector.
