The Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, expressed deep concern on Wednesday about the decline in school enrollment within the state. He attributed this decline to the prevailing insecurity, characterized by incidents such as kidnapping and banditry. In response, the government has initiated plans to relocate 359 schools from areas plagued by terrorism to safer locations and merge them with existing schools.
During the opening of a capacity-building program organized by the Nigeria Police Force School Protection Squad in Kaduna, Governor Sani emphasized the importance of the program’s theme: ‘Strengthening Security Resilience and Integration of Host Communities in the Protection of Education.’ He cited recent events, like the kidnapping of students from a local school, as examples of how insecurity impacts education access and safety.
Governor Sani highlighted the significant drop in school enrollment rates in Kaduna State due to insecurity. He described Kaduna as actively combating banditry, terrorism, and kidnapping, which have disrupted socio-economic activities and posed threats to the state’s educational initiatives. The decline in primary school enrollment, with over 200,000 fewer pupils recorded compared to the previous academic session, is attributed mainly to insecurity, particularly in areas like Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Kajuru, Giwa, and Igabi.
Governor Sani praised the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, for establishing the Schools Protection Squad, an initiative aimed at proactively enhancing security and safety in educational institutions nationwide.
