Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, voiced deep concern on Wednesday regarding the decline in student enrollment across schools in the state.
He attributed this worrying trend to the prevailing insecurity, characterized by incidents of kidnapping, banditry, and related crimes.
In response to this challenge, the government has decided to relocate 359 schools from areas heavily impacted by terrorist activities. These schools will be merged with others located in safer environments.
Speaking at the opening of a capacity-building program organized by the Nigeria Police Force School Protection Squad in Kaduna, Governor Sani emphasized the urgency of enhancing security resilience and integrating host communities in safeguarding education.
The recent abduction of 135 students from the LEA Primary and Junior Secondary School in Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, underscores the dire consequences of insecurity on educational access and safety.
To mitigate disruptions to the education of children in conflict-prone and terrorist-infested areas, the government has embarked on the consolidation of schools.
“To ensure that the education of our children in conflict-prone and terrorists-infested areas is not interrupted, we have commenced the merging of 359 schools with those in safe locations,” the governor said.
Governor Sani highlighted the alarming drop in school enrollment rates in Kaduna State due to insecurity.
“Kaduna State has been actively combating banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping, which have severely impacted socio-economic activities in affected communities and posed significant threats to the state’s educational revitalization efforts.”
“Kaduna State’s educational system is facing a crisis of declining enrolment, with over 200,000 fewer primary school pupils recorded in the 2022/2023 academic session compared to the previous year.”
This steep decline, from 2,111,969 in 2021/2022 to 1,734,704 in 2022/2023, is largely attributed to insecurity.
“In several local government areas, including Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Kajuru, Giwa, and Igabi, insecurity has compelled school consolidation, exacerbating the issue of out-of-school children.”
Governor Sani commended the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, for establishing the Schools Protection Squad, a proactive initiative aimed at enhancing security and safety in educational institutions nationwide.
