Safety measures will improve school enrollment, quality education – Stakeholders

By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

Stakeholders in the education sector have stated that the adoption of safety measures in schools will no doubt, improve school enrollment as well as quality education in the society.

Speaking during a 3-day training workshop organized by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) at Mangari Primary School, Misau local government area of Bauchi state, stakeholders comprising of primary and secondary school head teachers and members of School-Based Management Committees (SBMCs).

They pledged to step down the training and the knowledge gained to their respective areas.

Speaking to journalists, the headmistress of Mangari Primary School, Hauwa Abdullahi said that the training will no doubt improve school enrollment and retention across Misau local government area.

Hauwa who doubles as the SBMC Secretary of Mangari added that the training is coming for the first time to them in Misau and that they are appreciative to the sponsors.

“it is a welcome development. The training is encouraging, we need it and is very interesting because it helps the teachers to know how to safe the children and maintain the school, we learn what to do in terms of security threat”, she said.

The Headmistress there opined that since such training is coming to them for the very first time, there was the need for sustenance of the initiative.

On his part, the Chairman SBMC Hardawa central primary school, Ahmad Uba expressed gratitude to the UNICEF for shouldering the training, saying it will improve quality of education in Misau local government area.

“The training will really improve a lot of things because, provided we can step it down to our colleagues”, he said.

“I was able to learn and understand a lot of things that will add value to our schools. I commend UNICEF and the Bauchi state government for the effort, we pray for more of these interventions to improve quality of education and curb the security challenges we are facing in the country”, Uba said.

One if the facilitators, Sani Mohammed Ahmed, a lecturer with Aminu Salah college education Azare, commended the participants for demonstration enthusiasm and interest in the training.

“The kind of interest or enthusiasm the participants shown during the training indicated that the training is timely and they are very happy with the initiative”, he said.

Sani Mohammed Ahmed who explained that the training had five pillars, which include, violence against children, natural hazards, conflict, everyday hazard and safe school infrastructure, regretted that most of the schools are facing such problems.

He said having such training will really go a long way in equipping the teachers and the stakeholders involved with good plans and a very strong system on ground where they can provide security to the learners, teachers and the infrastructure in the school.

Ahmed pointed out that the main reason behind the training is to ensure that no matter the situation on ground, learners get the enabling environment to go to school.

“That is why we are teaching them on this safety measures so that no situation coming will stop the children from going to school to learn”, he added.

He said that the participants having come from different schools and communities are expected to step down the knowledge acquired to their colleagues by training them so that together they can put plans on ground to guarantee the safety of school children and the school facilities to enable for continued learning.

In his assessment of the training program, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office Dr. Tushar Rane described the performance of the trainees as very impressive show.

Dr. Rane who observed that the show which was a demonstration of the participants’ experiences, commended the facilitators for doing a good job.

“What they demonstrated, for example, the lockdown and even the stampede way goes to tell that they are very well prepared, very well trained and very well committed to what they have learned so far”, Dr. Rane remarked.

While noting that there was enthusiasm among the participants, Dr. Rane expressed optimisms that they will go back to their respective areas and train their colleagues.

The Chief of Field Office while stating that the training be cascaded down to others, called for robust monitoring to ensure that every school has a preparedness to response plan in place.

Dr. Rane said frontline workers have been deployed to Misau, Dass, Giade and Darazo local government areas of Bauchi state for similar programme.