Half of the population of pupils of Salihu Tanko Islamiyya School, Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State have not returned to school two months after the school had reopened.
Gunmen in May this year abducted about 150 pupils from the Islamiyya school.
The Head Teacher of the School, Alhaji Abubakar Alhassan told the North Central Trust correspondent that “Some parents have completely withdrawn their children from school because of fear of insecurity.”
He added that “Some children, even if their parents ask them to go school, they don’t because of the previous experience.
“We reopened a month after the kidnapped pupils were released. But some of our pupils have stopped coming. Almost half of the population of our pupils have stopped schooling. Parents said they were scared because there is no security in the school.”
The Head Teacher lamented that even some of the pupils who resumed don’t come regularly.
“In Tegina, there is panic everywhere. Residents don’t have rest of mind,” he said.
He said the school authority was working out plans to meet with parents to enlighten them to see the need for their children to continue with their education regardless of security challenges and past experience.
“Apart from trying to enlighten the parents, we are also teaching some of the pupils who are coming to respond to security threats.”
One of the parents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “Parents need to be encouraged because right now, many parents are scared of leaving their children to go to school. We don’t have anything to sell now to pay ransom because Tegina is under security threat.”
