8yrs after raising $20m for Safe School Initiative, FG unveils new plan

The Federal Government is working with the states, local governments and schools’ host communities to launch a suitable plan to finance safe schools across the country. 

The plan, according to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, will be launched before the end of the third quarter 2022. 

She disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the high-level summit on ‘Castle for Safeguarding Our Schools: Protecting Our Children and Our future’, organised by Emergency Coordination Centre.

The organised private sector had, last year, demanded the details of the $20m donated for the Safe Schools Initiative in 2014 when former President Goodluck Jonathan committed a $10m government fund in addition to another $10m from business leaders. The initiative was at that time launched by Nigerian business leaders through the Global Business Coalition for Education, a World at School and the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, Gordon Brown.

The minister, represented by Permanent Secretary Aliyu Ahmed, yesterday said the national plan would be implemented in phases starting with most-at-risk states, local governments and schools’ host communities.

“It’ll clearly outline how Nigeria intends to protect her schools and other learning places, so that our children can once again return to learning in a safer and more secured environment.”

She said the plan would incorporate state anf federal sectoral plans “with an emphasis on ensuring adequate budgetary allocation in order to create a safe learning environment for teaching, learning, and restoring confidence in the education system”.