The United Nations (UN) in Nigeria has reserved today September 9 for the international day to protect education from attacks by armed bandits such as Boko Haram that fights to despoil schools in the country.

The UN in a release said that there is a burning need for the safeguarding of education from attacks so as to restore confidence in schools as places of protection for children and teachers.

The UN resident Humanitarian Coordinator, Edward Kallon, said this is particularly pressing in light of COVID-19, which has affected 46million primary and secondary learners across Nigeria leading the closure of schools from the first quatre of the year.

In his words; “As State Governments plan to reopen schools after prolonged closures, building a resilient education system to withstand future shocks should be included in pandemic response plans.”

He noted that when we make the safety of schools for educators and learners our priority, it indicates that the Government is committed to protecting investments in the education sector and a validation of Nigeria’s endorsement of the Safe Schools Declaration.

As the world marks the first-ever International Day to Protect Education from Attack with the theme, “Protect Education, Save a Generation,” over three million children in the conflict-affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe in north-east Nigeria are in need of education-in-emergency support.

Mr. Kallon said, “Education is essential to helping crisis-affected communities in the north-east rebuild and recover. Attacks on schools are a direct attack on future generations. I call on all parties to the conflicts to take all necessary measures to protect education and give learners a chance to build a brighter future.”

The prolonged conflict in the north-east has had devastating impacts on education. From 2009 until December 2018, 611 teachers were killed and 910 schools got damaged. More than 1,500 schools were forced to close and some 4.2 million children in the north-east are at risk of missing out on an education.

Hundreds of girls have been abducted, some even from their own schools, which are meant to be safe zones. Sadly, many children have been used to act as carriers of improvised explosive devices while the attacks on schools, communities and education itself are tragic consequences of a long-drawn-out conflict that has left a generation of children distressed.

“As the world fights to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, children and youth in conflict zones remain among the most vulnerable to its devastating impact. We must ensure our children have a safe and secure environment in which to learn the knowledge and skills they need for the future,” the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres said adding his voice to the emergence of the day.

The UN has strongly condemned all attacks on education including abductions of school children, school-related gender-based violence, herders-farmers clashes, and repurposing of schools for use as isolation centres, IDP camps, and markets or for military purposes.

UNESCO Director-General, Audrey Azoulay said “Schools must remain safe places, free of conflict and violence.

“Our collective future as well as the achievements of all development goals depend on it.

“Safeguarding the right to education for all contributes to the achievement of sustainable development and nurtures the international community’s decades-long gains towards peace, economic prosperity, and social inclusion worldwide.”

Continuous attacks on schools and learners could reverse the gains on education investments made by the government of Nigeria, the UN and other multilateral, bilateral, and private sector partners over years, the UN explained.

UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore stated that “Attacks on schools are a violation of humanity and basic decency. We must not allow these senseless attacks to destroy the hopes and dreams of a generation of children. We must do all in our power to ensure that school and the children and teachers within them are protected.

“As the world begins planning to re-open schools once the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we must ensure that schools remain safe places of learning, even in countries in conflict.”

With school reopening plans on the move in many states, the UN called for an increase in fund, noting that it would go a long way in extenuating the effects of prolonged school closures on learners, especially vulnerable children, girls and others living with disabilities.