As bandits and insurgents continue to threaten the peace and security of Nigeria, a seasoned school administrator has advised both school owners and relevant stakeholders on how to ensure security around the school environment.
Mrs. Barbra Omakwu, Proprietress of a private school in Abuja said the government alone cannot fight insecurity, without the collaborative effort of school owners and other stakeholders in the education sector.
It would be recalled that the FCT administration, had last week, issued an order, asking schools around the nation’s capital territory to shut down, owing to threats of attacks by bandits.
Mrs. Omakwu, though welcoming the development, also highlighted some of the security measures put in place in her school, in addition to the government’s efforts and guidelines.
She said, “though we are God-protect but at our level, we are also trying our best to make sure our territory is safe. We have a lot of military personnel from the start of the school to the closing of the school, and so far, we haven’t experienced any security breach, but we are aware of what is going on in the country. We are conscious of it too, by way of providing internal security and those securing the outside and other facilities. We invest so much in security, because, without that, the children won’t be safe and there won’t be any school to call Barvij International School”.
On her part, Mrs Grace Awa Ewa, a Headteacher asked the federal government to seek external intervention, in addition to the measures put in place by school operators.
“I want the government to really do something. Because the insecurity is not just about the education sector, it is everywhere. You know, everybody is bothered. You go to bed with one eye open because you don’t know what is going to happen the next minute, so, hope the government will be able to do something and if they cannot handle it, let them look for foreign support to curtail this issue”, she said.
Mrs. Ewa also recommended that school owners adopt the system used during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 if schools resume the new academic session in September but are still not allowed by the government to operate, due to the security threats.
She said, “I think we may have to choose the second option, which is online learning, even though it is not the best, but I think it will be the only option”.
