Stakeholders urge speedy drafting of legal framework for implementation of Safe School Declaration

By: Michael Mike

The call for the speedy drafting of a legal framework for the effective implementation of the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) initiatives in Nigeria that will serve as a security blueprint for the safety of students and staff of educational institutions in the country have been emphasised.

Participants at a one day interactive session on the need to draft a legal document for the policy posited that 9 year after the SSD policy was developed in 2015 in Norway, and the establishment of a national policy, the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence Free Schools to help implement the SSD, Nigeria is yet to witness any meaningful implementation of the agreement partly due to the absence of a legal framework.

They spoke at a one day ‘Roundtable Meeting with Stakeholders on the imperative for a legal framework on Safe School Declaration (SSD)’ organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) and the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre (WARD C) in Lagos.

Speaking, National Network Coordinator for Wanep Nigeria, Dr. Bridget Osakwe urged the federal and state governments to increase funding for education and ensure that children and teachers are in good environment of leaning that is free from violence, molestation, from abuses, harassments of any kind.

She said “the SSD is to prepare the children, prepare the environment in order to prevent any form of violence in the school environment and to respond immediately in case of any breaches in the school and it is important that all stakeholders come together to make the whole environment conducive because education a right to the child irrespective of the sex, and for children to optimally enjoy that education.”

“They have to have a conducive environment and that environment is not just for the children alone, even for the teachers that will deliver. Everyone that will guide the children within the precinct of the school needs that conducive environment to be in their optimal skills.”

National Programme Coordinator of WARD C, Jennifer Nwokedike bemoaned the downward trend in the safety of school children affirming that government must halt the adduction of student in schools across the country.

Nwokedike said “Is Nigeria government implementing SSD, I will say yes and no. for some states implementation has started, but considering the trend in education we expect government to do more. It is ten years after the adduction of girls in Chibok, the trend indicates that we are going down the slop.”

A project consultant, Dr Ola Akintayo, explained that there are several policies in place that are geared toward effective implementation of the policy but the absence of a legal frame so far has been the Achill hill of that policy initiative.

“Since the policy has been put in place, you can see that there have been no impacts. Most people in the country are not even aware that such things are even in place in Nigeria.” He said.

Also speaking, Dr Obadina Ibrahim of the University of Lagos declared that “We must realise how imperative it is to have a legal framework. After Chibok, it’s been a lot of challenges trying to secure schools in the country.”

The UNILAG Don said “We must itemise the basic requirement any school must have to ensure that they protect the student and staff, trainings and critical engagement within communities so that they can speak up when we see suspicious activities and individuals coming to the school.

We talk issues of perimeter fencing, surveillances, panic alarms across schools and including sanctions for those complicit in attacks in schools as well as recovery processes when schools are attack. Issues of funding and infrastructures should also get attention.”

Participants at the interactive forum included traditional leaders, Civil Society Organisations the network of Civil Society on Education, the police, civil defence, members of the Lagos state house of assembly, officials of ministry of education, the school base management boards, head teachers association and the Parent Teachers Association among other.

The Safe Schools Declaration outlines a set of commitments to strengthen the protection of education from attack and restrict use of schools and universities for military purposes and seeks to ensure the continuity of safe education during armed conflict.

It was opened for countries to endorse at the First International Conference on Safe Schools in Oslo, Norway, in May 2015 while in October 2021; Nigeria hosted the Fourth International Conference on the Safe Schools Declaration in Abuja.

Stakeholders urge speedy drafting of legal framework for implementation of Safe School Declaration