Schools Are Spaces For Learning, Education & Development, Says Afeso

By Khalid Idris Doya

Thamani for the Women and Youth Development Initiative, a non-governmental organization, has said that schools are important to nation building, as they represent a space where learners are comprehensively educated and developed.

This development, according to the Initiative Executive Director, Mr. Nicholas Oshojah Afeso, can be guaranteed only if learning takes place in a safe and secure environment.

He explained that a holistic school safety and security plan is critical to ensure that all learners, staff members and school property (including buildings and equipment) as well as school communities are protected from human-induced and natural hazards.

Speaking during the media round table meeting held in Bauchi on ‘Enhancing Safe and Secure Education for All Project on Monday with the support of USAID and Palladium, the director also noted that a gender responsive school is one in which the academic, social and physical environment take into account the specific needs of both girls and boys.

Mr. Afeso cited examples with the teaching methodologies, language use, educational materials, classroom set-up, interactions, and physical environment should all be gender responsive and learner-centred, as educational principles and practices that promote gender equality.

He recalled the Safe Schools Declaration (SSD) in May 2015,  opened for endorsement by countries at an international conference held in Oslo, Norway to provide countries with the impetus to express support for the protection of learners, teachers and learning environments from attack during times of armed conflict.

“The declaration commits to ensuring that all forms of educational pursuit continue during armed conflict and that countries implement concrete measures to deter the use of academic institutions by the military”.

“Specifically, the declaration outlines recommendations to better prevent attacks on education, protect schools from military use and respond to and mitigate the impact of attacks when they do occur in conflict-affected areas”.

Afeso observed that learners have autonomy and agency and can contribute meaningfully to efforts to ensure safety and security in schools if their participation in the process is effectively enabled. 

“They can participate effectively in school safety planning exercises and learn disaster risk reduction (DRR) principles and practices being taught in and outside school, recognize disaster risks in their community and actively seek solutions to reduce them.”

Afeso further noted that media performs important functions in the society by educating the public and holding the government accountable, hence it is a critical stakeholder in the success of any transformative initiative in society, including the effort to foster or institutionalize safety and security in Nigerian educational institutions.

He outlined the role of media as dissemination of information about the policy to the public to raise awareness, and participate in training on Disaster risk reduction (DRR) issues and approaches, as well as lead in building the necessary momentum on school safety through adequate coverage of issues and solutions, among others.