Northern state shuts all public secondary schools, gives crucial reason
- Students in public schools in Niger state will be home for two weeks, starting from Friday, March 12 to Friday, March 26.
- This follows the closure of all the public secondary schools in the state by the Niger state government
- The state government said the closure is to enable security agencies to conduct a risk assessment following the Kagara school abduction
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The Niger state government has ordered the closure of all public secondary schools in the state following the recent abduction of some students and the mounting security challenges.
This decision was reached after a meeting between the state government and officials from various security agencies, Daily Trust reported.
Legit.ng gathers that the state’s commissioner for education, Hajiya Hannatu Jibrin Salihu, said the schools will be closed for two weeks, starting from Friday, March 12 to Friday, March 26.
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Salihu explained that the two weeks closure was necessary to give relevant security agencies the time and opportunity to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment.
According to the commissioner, the risk assessment exercise will provide an all-inclusive mechanism and strategies that will restore and guarantee sustainable security and safety of students, school infrastructure, education managers and teachers in the state.
She commended the stakeholders in the education sectors including parents and communities for their patience, understanding and support.
The commissioner reiterated the government’s commitment to leave no stone unturned and ensure that all schools are safe for effective teaching and learning, The Nation also reported.
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In the early hours of Wednesday, February 17, 27 students, three staff and 12 members of their families were abducted from a school in Kagara, Niger state.
After spending days in the den of the bandits, the victims were eventually released.
Following the rising security challenges, the Niger state government has been making efforts to avoid further occurrence.
The development has also made the Yobe state government to take a proactive measure by closing all the boarding schools in the state.
The state's commissioner for basic and secondary education, Dr Muhammed Idris, made the announcement on Monday, March 1, in Damaturu.
All the day schools in the state are, however, not affected as they were asked to continue with the normal academic activities.
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Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
