Protecting Education

Project Safe Spaces: schools should be a safe and healthy learning environment.

Every child has the right to education in a safe and healthy environment, but this has become non-existent in war-torn countries such as; Israel and Palestinian-occupied territories, Somalia, Haiti, Niger, DR Congo, Myanmar, Sudan and Nigeria.

In recent years there has been an increase in the level of insecurity in Nigeria, most especially in the northeastern part of Nigeria. In a 2017 post from the Daily Post, it was reported that 1,500 schools were closed due to insurgency and 2.295 teachers had been killed. UNICEF reports that in north-eastern Nigeria, 2.8 million children require education-in-emergency support in three conflict-affected States (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa). In these States, at least 802 schools remain closed and 497 classrooms are listed as destroyed, with another 1,392 damaged but repairable. With these reports, it is safe to say that education is under attack in Nigeria.

The State of Kaduna is no exception to this, there has been an increase in the number of bandit attacks, which has led to schools being destroyed and there are more out-of-school children due to poverty and inaccessibility to schools. During our program in Chikun LGA, we saw the reality of this as we interacted with the children. They shared stories of kidnapping and even violence that occurred in their neighbourhoods. Schools are no longer as safe as they should be and that presents more cases of children failing to thrive in school- learning in an unsafe environment makes it difficult for children to comprehend or interact with what is being taught in class. 

It would be ignorant for us to assume that the children are not affected by these issues or that they have no idea about how these issues can be solved. As part of our teaching approach, we allowed the children to express themselves and how insecurity in their state has affected them. The children were divided into groups and asked to come up with issues that plague their communities. One of the groups chose to talk about insecurity and banditry as it were the case with them, and how it can be solved. This opened up their minds to the possibility of having a safe and healthy environment and how they can be key players in that. One child shared;

“ I will go to the chief of the community to speak to him on how he can increase the security in our community. He can get more guns for the vigilante groups.”

Another also shared;

“I will ask the government to focus on education so that more people can be literate and they won’t have to become bandits just to survive.”

The children brought up these amazing suggestions during our class on Nigeria and the responsibilities of a Nigerian citizen. More action needs to be put in place to ensure that schools are safe and more than that children need to be taught that they have a role to play and that their voices will be heard on matters of national and community development. 

Satayaa is on a mission to create safe spaces for children to learn, grow, and thrive. Through this project, we seek to empower children with the knowledge and mentorship they need for them to become positive members of society. We desire to see a transformed world where every child thrives and is a key player in bringing solutions not only to issues that affect them but also to their community and nation.

 You can be a part of our work either by volunteering or by donating.