Effects of insurgency attacks on education in the North East

By Dayo Adesulu

The devastating effects of nine years of insurgency attacks on North-East school buildings, teachers and students have brought education in that zone years backwards. Statistics showed that 2,295 teachers have been killed and 19,000 others displaced in Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa States in the last nine years, while an estimate of 1,500 schools had been destroyed since 2014, with over 1,280 casualties among teachers and students. Many of these incidents were never reported by the national media. The popular ones that drew the attention of all and sundry to the situation only reported the Kidnapped Chibok secondary school girls and the Dapchi girls. For status quo to be restored to those affected States, stakeholders say education is key to their complete recovery. Bothered by this trend, the Federal Government had established the Education Revitalization Programme which aim at bringing restoration to educational affected areas in the country. During the week, while acknowledging the efforts of stakeholders in rebuilding education in the North East and facilitating access, the chairperson, Education Sub -Committee of Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative (PCNI), Professor Hauwa Biu, appealed to the government of the North Eastern States, donors and government of friendly countries for help. READ ALSO: Borno: Poor infrastructure and unending Boko Haram struggles She reiterated: ”2,295 teachers had been killed and 19,000 others displaced in Bornu, Yobe and Adamawa States in the last nine years while an estimated 1,500 schools had been destroyed since 2014, with over 1,280 casualties among teachers and students Biu disclosed that under the PCNI education revitalization programme, the PCNI has trained over 3,000 primary school teachers in the North East to boost teachers’ capacity in Pedagogy, Safety and trauma counselling skills. ”The purpose of the intervention is not only to reverse the negative performance of the education sub-sector in the North East sub-region before the insurgency but to also invest in future of the children. Education is the key to the complete recovery of the North East,” she said. According to her, preparations are underway to train secondary school teachers, adding that under the project, about 67,500 pupils and 6,750 teachers are to be supported across the North Eastern states. The chairperson, who spoke during the Launch and Presentation of Educational Support Materials to primary and secondary schools in Bauchi state said, ”In line with the Education Revitalization Programme, (PCNI) has presented Educational and Instructional materials to about 67,500 pupils /students and 6,750 teachers in schools across the states in the North East.” She explained that the launch of the educational support items was part of the PCNI project aimed to overcome the challenges of near absence of quality learning and in the state. ”The purpose of the intervention is not only to reverse the negative performance of the education sub – sector in the North East sub-region before the insurgency, but to also invest in future of the children, adding, ”education is the key to the complete recovery of the North East.” VANGUARD Related World has failed to protect children in conflict in 2018 — UNICEF January 10, 2019 3m children need emergency education support in North-East Nigeria – UNICEF September 29, 2017 No parent will send his daughter back to that school, says parent of missing Dapchi girls March 7, 2018.