Turmoil of education in northern Nigeria

THE menace of kidnapping is growing at an alarming rate and there is no doubt that a war has been declared on education and relevant stakeholders, especially in the North where there are indications that the children are left behind in education compared to their counterparts in the South and has a high rate of out-of-school children.

The first incidence of kidnapping in northern Nigeria can be traced to the abduction of students from girls boarding school in Chibok, Borno State in 2014, where more than 200 female students were abducted by Boko Haram terrorists. Another that took place in 2018, at GGSS, Dapchi in Yobe State. Sadly, some of the students are nowhere to be found to date.

The recent rise in activities of bandits in some states—ZamfaraKaduna, Katsina, Sokoto— has sent panic to the minds of citizens as no one knows who might be the next victim. And despite the recent appointment of new service chiefs by the President, the menace keeps growing at an alarming rate.

The recent attack on various schools in the north is heartbreaking and devastating. The bandits also warned that Western education should be stopped in Nigeria. After a series of negotiations, the students were released. All these incidents will no doubt send shivers down the spines of parents and encourage them to keep their children out of school for their safety since most are being begged to allow their children to go to school already.

One of the abductees from Girls Science Secondary School, Jangebe told BBC Hausa service that she won’t go back to school until the government has provided appropriate security in the school.

Like Nelson Mandela said, “Education is a powerful weapon with which we can use to change the world”. Therefore no nation can progress without education. The North which boasts of the highest population in the country is left behind in terms of educational and infrastructural advancement due to the high rate of illiteracy among its masses.

Therefore, the government needs to employ new tactics in addressing the issue of insecurity and attacks on schools, create a favourable environment where students can learn without fear or panic and give the masses confidence to send their children to school.

Hajara Abdullahi,

Kano.

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