Chibok Girls: UNICEF Harps On Safety Of Children In Borno Schools

April 18, (THEWILL) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has stressed the need to ensure adequate safety and security of schools, saying it is everyone’s responsibility, including parents, government, community leaders and other partners.

The UNICEF’s Chief of Field Office, Phuong T. Nguyen, stated this in Maiduguri during a symposium on school safety in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the abduction of 276 Chibok girls by Boko Haram insurgents, organised by UNICEF and supported by Unique Care and Support Foundation (CASFOD) and the University of Maiduguri.

Nguyen, represented by the UNICEF Education field officer in Maiduguri office, Dr. Adamu Bulama, explained that schools must be a place of hope and opportunity where students are safe to learn and develop the skills and experiences they need to thrive.

“Ensuring security in our schools is not just for government or UNICEF, INGOs or UN agencies, community members have to be fully informed that it is their responsibility to ensure schools are secured and also they should be provided with the skills that they need to response to an emergency whenever something happens in the schools,” she said

She stressed that UNICEF secures funds from donors and distributes them to education partners to strengthen security at school levels to ensure that schools are safe for all.

“Education for all is a responsibility for all. The best way to ensure that our schools are safe and secure is to allow each and every partner to play their role. UNICEF, as a UN agency, is leading coordination among all the education partners, that’s why we have an education sector coordinator based at the UNICEF office and part of that key sector is to ensure that each and every member among the partners plays its role and try to avoid duplication in terms of programme intervention. In addition to that, UNICEF ensures that advocacy is carried out upward and downward,” she said.

She noted that through positive parenting, children can feel safe, valued and heard when sharing their opinions and complicated emotions and they will grow up to be a happy and confident generation with fewer reservations about seeking mental health support.

She opined that UNICEF’s education programme aims to support the government in achieving SDG 4 by 2030 through improved planning and addressing some of the systemic barriers that hinder the implementation of an effective education strategy.

The symposium was jointly organised by UNICEF, CASFOD, CATAI, UKAID, Education in Emergencies, and the University of Maiduguri.