“It is not enough to say you have closed the schools. What are you putting in place to ensure that these children are safe and still continue with their academic work, which is very important.”
Mixed reactions have trailed the Edo State Government’s decision to temporarily shut down three secondary schools in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state over alleged kidnap threat.
The affected schools are Ososo Grammar School, Ososo Comprehensive High School and Makeke Secondary School.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin, Aighomwanhi Idubor, chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools, Edo Chapter, described the closure as a necessary step to safeguard lives.
“Life is precious. If there is security information that challenges the coexistence of teachers and students and such action is taken, it is in the interest of everyone,” he said.
According to him, the consequences of ignoring security warnings could be far-reaching if an attack or abduction occurred.
“If there is a kidnapping, what will happen? We will start running up and down. So it is better to quickly handle it at that level and also make government responsive to security challenges in the school system,” he added.
While supporting the closure, Mr Idubor stressed that authorities must not limit their attention to the affected schools alone.
He urged security agencies to deploy adequate resources to protect schools across the state, noting that criminals could easily shift their focus to other schools.
“Security personnel now have information at their disposal and should put all the machinery in place to ensure safety of lives and property, especially the safety of our children,” he said.
He further argued that closing schools should not be viewed as the ultimate solution to the problem.
“It is not enough to say you have closed the schools. What are you putting in place to ensure that these children are safe and still continue with their academic work, which is very important,” he said.
Mr Idubor said the government, the Ministry of Education and security agencies should develop alternative arrangements that would allow affected students to continue their studies and examinations without compromising their safety.
“We should be looking beyond the three schools. What happens to the others? Are we sure those behind the threats will not target other schools?” he queried.
However, Lucky Imarouagheru, chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Edo chapter, expressed concerns about the closure’s duration and its potential impact on students’ education.
“Our children are supposed to be in school. Instead of simply closing the schools, efforts should be intensified to beef up security around them,” he said.
He noted that government and security agencies were already taking steps to address the situation through collaboration with the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and local vigilante groups.
“They have called on the NSCDC, the Nigeria Police and vigilantes to see how they can strengthen security so that the schools can be reopened in no distant time,” he said.
