The Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT) has called for concerted efforts to win the war against increasing attacks on education in Nigeria.
The NUT Secretary-General, Dr. Mike Ike-Ene, made the call in an interview on Thursday in Abuja to mark the International Day to Protect Education from Attack.
Ike-Ene commended efforts being made by governments and other stakeholders in tackling the problem.
He, however, said a lot needed to be done to eradicate the rising cases of abduction, rape, and killing of teachers and students as well as the destruction of educational facilities in the country.
Ike-ene said that everything must be done to save the country’s education.
He stressed that “teachers are critical stakeholders in education hence they must be protected.
“All attacks on education must stop because if it continues, it will set the country back several years.
“Where we are today on the global education index is not so good and now we are talking of attacks on teachers, students, and educational facilities.
“Education remains the only tool to catch up with other countries of the world and in its absence, we are going nowhere as a country.”
According to him, NUT is advocating for it to be possible, that Nigeria seeks assistance from other countries.
“We encourage the government to deploy all its arsenals to save education in Nigeria.
“We know that this war can be won. A typical example is what happened recently in Zamfara, where all communication gadgets were shut down and we are hearing that the bandits are fleeing,” he said.
The National Daily reports that the International Day to Protect Education from Attack is marked every Sept. 9.
The day is set aside to recognize the importance of creating awareness on the need to preserve education and protect it from attack.
The day is also set aside to ensure that stakeholders keep the issue at the top of the international agenda to tackle the plight of students affected by armed conflicts across the world.
The day was first observed on Sept. 9, 2020, following the unanimous adoption of the UN General Assembly Resolution.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) and The United Nations Children’s Fund(UNICEF) were designated to serve as co-facilitators for the yearly observance of the day.