TRCN Calls for Implementation of Safe Schools Declaration Guidelines

The Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, has called for the full implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration guidelines endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 and ratified by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

The Registrar of the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, TRCN, Prof. Josiah Olusegun Ajiboye made the call while presenting a paper at the 2022 National Delegates Conference of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, NUT, in Ibadan.

Ajiboye noted that more than 2,295 teachers were killed in the Northeast between 2009 and 2022, while more than 19,000 others were displaced and more than 910 schools were damaged or destroyed due to the conflict.

He further said that over 1,500 schools have been forced to close due to the insurgency and over 600,000 children have lost access to education.

The TRCN boss called on the federal government to review its security architecture to deal with the deteriorating security situation due to terrorism and violent attacks on education.

He noted that moving forward, federal, state, and local education authorities should facilitate the immediate implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools, NPSSVFS, by taking budgetary provisions.

He urged the federal government to increase domestic spending on education by 50% over the next two years, as promised at the Global Partnership for Education, GPE, Education Summit.

Talking about the impact of attacks on schools, he noted that "attacks on education create a ripple effect and trigger a range of negative impacts such as loss of education, early marriage, early pregnancy, and the stigma associated with sexual violence and children born from rape, all of which can significantly affect the future of female students."

He said schools used for a variety of military purposes, including holding and executing captives and as barracks for insurgents, further contributed to parents' and students' fears about the safety of sending their children back, especially their children. girls, to school after the insurgents. was gone.

On the effect of the insurgency on the country's economy, he said the destruction of school buildings - classrooms, student hostels, staff quarters, laboratories and equipment will require billions of naira to be repaired.

“The cost of security spending to manage violence and conflict and its economic impact has increased since 2007, nearly doubling from $69.3 billion to $132.6 billion in 2019, according to data from the Institute for Peace and Economics (IEP) Economic Value of Peace Report 2021. Similarly, between June 2011 and March 2020, at least $18.3 million was paid to kidnappers in ransom, according to a report by SBM Intelligence,” he said.

He added that attacks on schools and terrorism have reduced foreign investment in Nigeria, putting a lot of pressure on the local economy.

He said a school is considered safe if schools and learning centers are violence-free environments.

Schools and learning centers mitigate the effects of natural hazards; schools and learning centers prevent or prepare to resolve conflict; schools and learning centers prevent or mitigate the effects of everyday hazards and school infrastructure is safe.

On the role of teachers in protecting learners, he noted that teachers should closely monitor learners to ensure that abuse and violence against learners is prevented or promptly addressed if it occurs, adding that they should observe learners closely for any signs and symptoms of protection issues.

He also urged teachers to promptly report suspected or actual instances of abuse or violence against a learner; protect learners from abuse or mistreatment by peers or staff; popularize the concepts and practices of child protection in schools and demonstrate the need to protect learners by promoting and practicing positive discipline.