The Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo has identified insecurity as one of the biggest problems threatening the development of education in Nigeria, with a call on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) to join efforts in tackling the menace.
Dr. Sani-Gwarzo spoke while delivering a paper titled “Re-emerging Education in the Renewed Hope Agenda: The Role of Education in National Development” at the 2024 TETFund Board of Trustees Retreat held in Lagos recently.
The Permanent Secretary revealed that the Ministry of Education was working on new initiatives including workable models aimed at addressing the problem of insecurity in schools across the country.
While emphasizing the need for investment in security including training, Dr. Sani-Gwarzo asked rhetorically: “Have we dedicated funds to support the universities that we are building? Have we discussed as TETFund how do we finance the fighting of insecurity?
“How many of you have been trained on what to do in case of bomb blast, shooting or kidnapping? Do you have prior knowledge?
“Believe me it works, if you train people on what to do. So, I am appealing to TETFund; we are coming up with so many new initiatives including addressing insecurity in schools. We will send the prototype; use models that have worked in the world, but we are going to adapt them to local situation.
“It is not a one-size-fits-all; every location has its security needs but we will give the generic roadmap and apply maximum pressure until everything is implemented and our schools are made safe again,” he assured
