By Elizabeth Ameh

To mark the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping of 276 Chibok girls, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in partnership with various organizations, has convened a symposium focusing on school safety in Maiduguri.

The event saw participation from stakeholders, students, government officials, and community leaders from within Borno State.

Phuong T. Nguyen, UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, highlighted the importance of local community engagement and capacity building as key elements in ensuring the safety of schools.

Adamu Bulama, Education Officer at UNICEF and representative for the Chief of Field Office, emphasized that UNICEF has been instrumental in promoting secure educational environments and has coordinated efforts with educational sector partners to prevent redundant initiatives.

“Our goal is to maintain safe and secure schools by enabling each partner to contribute effectively. UNICEF leads this coordination, which includes having an education sector coordinator within our office to minimize program overlap and ensure advocacy at every level,” Phuong explained.

Joseph Apeh, Advocacy and Campaign Coordinator for Save the Children, reported that their 2023 study, which covered Yobe, Borno, Kaduna, and Katsina states, found that since the Chibok girls’ abduction in 2013, there have been 1,683 child abductions, 70 school attacks, 184 student deaths, 88 injuries, and the killing of 60 teachers.

A panel discussion session during the event

Apeh identified economic woes, extremism, and calls for government action as underlying causes of the abductions.

Participants at the symposium urged for increased support for schoolgirls and for educating local communities to champion girls’ education.

They criticized the societal treatment of violence-affected girls and advocated for providing them with the necessary aid and support.

The need for safety audits in schools to identify security risks and improve safety was also discussed.

At the end, participants called for the actual implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration, urging governments and stakeholders to translate commitments into concrete actions, noting that the declaration includes multiple strategies to enhance school safety.