Ben Ezechime, Enugu
Participants at a One-Day multi-zonal press conference on 2024 International day of Education held in Enugu, have urged Governors of the South-East region and other governors in the country to strengthen security around public schools.
This was contained in a communique released at the end of the conference which was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State with the theme: “Learning for lasting peace.”
Participants at the conference including UNICEF, representative of Enugu State Government and the Media lamented the high number of schools closed as a result of violence by non-state actors.
It also called for free basic education as well as provision of teaching and learning equipment in schools, particularly in public schools to attract massive enrollment of pupils.
They went further to advocate the promotion of the workability and efficacy of the Nigeria Learning Passport (NLP), as a platform for increased access to digital learning.
The conference also commended UNICEF for their concern and efforts in ensuring that Nigerian children were educated despite all the risks involved.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Education in Enugu State, Prof. Ndubueze Mbah, said that Enugu State Government had taken the lead in ensuring qualitative education through plans for the establishment of Basic Smart Schools in the 260 wards of the state.
According to him, the state had budgeted 30 per cent in the 2024 appropriation for education in an effort to reduce illiteracy and to provide qualitative education to the children of the state.
In her Goodwill message, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Enugu, Mrs Juliet Chiluwe, said that the theme for this year, “learning for lasting peace,” carried a weighty significance.
“It speaks to the enduring power of education as a tool for preventing, building and sustaining peace.
“Education becomes a beacon, reducing inequities, injustice, and inequalities, while nurturing the cognitive, social, and emotional skills essential for safeguarding peace,” she said.
She called for a renewed commitment to transforming the educational landscape in Nigeria.
