The Save-Public-Education-Campaign, has welcomed with deep relief the news of the escape and return of the 8 female Students of Government Secondary School, Awon in Kadunna State who were recently abducted by terrorists in the State, lamenting that over two thousand school children had been abducted in schools across the country in the last twenty four months.
The group believes that such abductions put not only the parents and families of the abducted school children in trauma, but importantly, the students too, and often leaves a lasting negative impact in the lives of the abducted school Children.
Convener of Save-Public-Education-Campaign, Ms. Vivian Bello, said in a statement released in Abuja that the abduction of the innocent school girls was yet another painful blow to the efforts to strengthen and improve educational outcomes in the country, adding that it felt deep dejection each time news of such negative occurrence is reported around students in any part of the country.
The Group while expressing joy at the return of the abducted Kaduna school girls, pointed out that the kidnap of Nigerian Children who innocently go to school to acquire education has become painfully widespread and is a strong contributing setback to the country’s educational goals.
The rest of the statement read; “These incidences have also introduced a fear-factor amongst Children and young people regarding school and this further worsens the spiraling out-of-school-children phenomenon presently confronting the country.
“The Save-Education-Campaign therefore again strongly urges authorities at all levels; local, state and federal, to move Education and everything that concerns it to top priority. From adequate budgetary allocations to securing the learning environment as well as enforcing the necessary legal provisions for the protection of the Rights of the Nigerian Child, priority must be placed on these.
“Clearly, actions as these abductions trample on such Child’s Rights Act. We further also call on security agencies to improve intelligence and safety structures around educational institutions in order to nip these acts in the bud as no Child deserves to go into captivity and in some cases hurt or death for going to school.” the statement concluded.
