TEACHERS and school proprietors in Bauchi state have been charged to as a matter of necessity inculcate into school children the culture of peaceful coexistence and principles of peace education by using the peace clubs established in schools as an instrument for conflict resolution.
The charge was given by the Wife of Bauchi state Governor, Hadiza Abubakar at an interactive forum organised by the Bauchi Sustainable Women Economic Empowerment and Peace Initiative,( B-SWEEP) for the establishing of Peace Clubs in schools held at the Banquet Hall of Government House.
The Governor’s Wife explained that the formation of the Peace clubs was aimed at creating a peaceful and academic platform at various school levels where students of differences backgrounds live harmoniously.
She recalled that in 2016, the initiative organised a workshop on peacebuilding and education, where stakeholders were sensitised on creating more awareness on the need for peaceful coexistence between all ethnic/ religious groups as well as highlighting on the consequences of falling into the menace of violence.
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Hadiza Abubakar also said that “As a follow-up on last year’s forum, we established B-SWEEP Peace Clubs in 10 public schools within the metropolis and they were inaugurated on the 23rd of February 2017.
With the serious insecurity challenges being experienced in Nigeria and North-East in particular, the initiative is geared towards catching them young.
This will enable the students to actively participate in fostering peace, love and togetherness towards their colleagues”
“To the attending schools and coordinators, this programme will in no doubt provide an excellent opportunity for you to exchange information on how to provide sustainable peace and cohesion in your schools to avert ethnic and religious crisis”, She said.
In his address at the event, State Governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar said that the peaceful coexistence currently enjoyed by the people of the state was as a result of the multiple approaches to peaceful resolutions.
The Governor who was represented by the Special Adviser on Youth Mobilisation, Ghali Abdulhamid urged the people of the state to cultivate the habit of tolerance and respect for one another, saying that it is only when there is the peace that government can develop and make progress.
“There is no better way of making things permanent than inculcating peace in the minds of our children. I, therefore, commend the efforts of B-SWEEP for its foresight in trying to face the challenges of insecurity in this manner ” he said
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