Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna state says the educational system in the state is facing a crisis as a result of insecurity.

Speaking at a capacity training programme organised by the Nigeria Police Force Schools Protection Squad in Kaduna on Wednesday, Sani observed that school enrolment in the state has declined following the security challenges.

He explained that in some local government areas, insecurity has forced school consolidation, further pushing up the number of out-of-school children in the state.

According to the governor, “the recent kidnapping of 135 students from the LEA Primary and Junior Secondary School, Kuriga, Chikun LGA, tragically illustrates the devastating impact of insecurity on access to education and safety in the state.”

He believed that no nation can achieve its human capital development goals and make giant developmental strides if it fails to guarantee the safety and security of schools.

He added, “Kaduna is one of the states that have been waging a sustained battle against banditry, terrorism, kidnapping and other forms of criminality.

“These non-state actors have disrupted socio-economic activities in the affected communities and are threatening our educational revitalization programme.

“Kaduna State’s educational system is facing a crisis of declining enrolment, with over 200,000 fewer primary school pupils recorded in the 2022/2023 academic session compared to the previous year.”

The governor lamented that the dramatic drop (from 2,111,969 in 2021/2022 to 1,734,704 in 2022/2023) is largely attributed to insecurity.

He added that in local government areas (LGAs) like Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Kajuru, Giwa, and Igabi, insecurity has forced school consolidation, further pushing up the number of out-of-school children.

To ensure that the education of the children in conflicts-prone and terrorists’ infested areas was not interrupted, he said they have to commence the merging of 359 schools with those in safe locations.

Sani commended the federal government for the N144.8b Safe Schools Financing Plan which was launched in 2022, saying that the plan was developed through rigorous consultations and strategic engagements with all relevant stakeholders in the education and security sectors, at national and sub-national levels.

Meanwhile, National Coordinator of Safe Schools Programme, Halima Iliya, said the federal government, in consultation and collaboration with states, local governments and critical agencies of government, including the military and other security agencies, had developed a Medium Term National Plan on Financing Safe Schools (2023-2026).