The Federal Government will inaugurate the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools in September, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said.
She disclosed this in Abuja yesterday at a stakeholders’ forum on the National Plan for Financing Safe Schools.
Represented by Permanent Secretary, Finance (Special Duties), Shehu Shinkafi, the minister said, “in order to stem increasing attacks on education, it became necessary to develop a national plan that will incorporate state level plans as well as Federal Government sectoral plans with an emphasis on ensuring adequate budgetary allocation in order to create a safe learning and teaching environment and restore confidence in the education system.
“The plan aims to set out three-year spending plans for financing and creating safe learning in Nigeria.”
The Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, represented by Rear Adm. Chibike Azike, the Director of Education, Defence Headquarters, said: “This National Plan initiative will be a major guide in realising safe and secure Nigerian schools.”
General Editor, Daily Trust, who was also a panelist for a discussion on ‘Community Participation and Protection of Schools in Nigeria, charged the federal and state governments to secure the entire country to have safe environments for learning.
“All the geo-political zones are unsafe, even in Abuja, some schools have been closed. In Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kaduna and so on, hundreds of students have been kidnapped,” Idris said.
He called for accountability for the billions of naira allocated to the security agencies.
“From 2014 to 2022, billions of naira have been released for security, where is the money? How has the money been used? How safe are the schools? The media should ask,” he said.
He also advocated increased media engagement of impacted communities on their experiences and fears.
The Emir of Kagara, Alhaji Ahmed Garba Gunna, noted that traditional rulers have a role to play in ensuring safe schools as they are key to intelligence gathering process.
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