The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has urged for coordinated efforts by communities and stakeholders to improve security standards during emergencies to fortify school safety in the face of growing concerns.
The UNICEF chief of the Borno Field Office, Phuong Nguyen, made the call at the panel discussion on school safety in Maiduguri on the mournful tenth anniversary of the abduction of 276 Chibok schoolgirls.
Nguyen highlighted the vital role that cooperation plays, emphasising that to prevent duplication and guarantee efficient use of resources, partners must coordinate their efforts.
Represented by the education officer of UNICEF Maiduguri, Mr. Adamu Bulama, Nguyen said, “UNICEF advocates for funding in such a way that every partner receives the fund and ensures that security is improved in schools.
“To ensure that schools are safe, community members have to be fully informed that the safety of schools is part of their responsibilities. They should be provided with the skills they need to be able to respond to emergencies whenever they occur.”
Discussants at the symposium stated that the abduction of the 276 Chibok schoolgirls in 2014 served as a wake-up call for the government to beef up security around schools, stating that schools are relatively safe from abduction, but incidents continue to emerge and other types of social vices persist, pointing out the need for adequate security.
They called for more awareness and the need to train students on safety tips. “We cannot limit the safety of schools to abduction, but there shouldn’t be complacency. We need to strengthen what we are doing to ensure the total safety of schools,” they said.
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