Insecurity:  Niger State shuts public secondary schools

Niger State government on Thursday directed the closure of all public secondary schools in the state for two weeks over insecurity in the state.

The state Commissioner for Education, Hajiya Hannatu Salihu, who gave the directive on Thursday said the decision followed an interface with officials from various security agencies in the state.

The closure of the schools, according to her, will be from Friday, March 12th to Friday, March 26th, 2021.

This is coming after an emergency consultative meeting with the leadership of Association of the Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Association of Model Islamic Schools (AMIS), Executive Chairman, Niger State

Universal Basic Education Board (NSUBEB), Heads of Education Agencies, Directors of the Ministry and other stakeholders of the Education sector in the state.

According to the state government, though 22 secondary schools (11 day and 11 boarding schools) had earlier been closed, the two weeks closure of all secondary schools was necessary to give relevant security agencies the time and opportunity to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of all public secondary schools.

The exercise, when completed, will provide strategies and an all-inclusive mechanism that will restore and guarantee sustainable security and safety of students, school infrastructure, education managers and teachers in the state.

The commissioner therefore commended education actors, parents and communities for their patience, understanding and support in this trying time.