THUR, AUGUST 10 2023-theGBJournal |The Federal Government has earmarked N15 billion to implement Safe Schools Initiative, an initiative launched recently for the protection of schools and educational institutions across the country.
The initiative will be implemented between 2023 – 2026 with a total investment size of N144.86 billion.
The National Co-ordinator on Safe Schools Initiative, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Halima Illiya Ibrahim disclosed this during the Press briefing, held in Abuja.
The National Co-ordinator stated that the aim of the Initiative was to enable Children affected by conflicts and insecurity to continue with their education unhindered, and charting a way forward in addressing attacks on education.
She said that in order to achieve progress in achieving the various commitments to protect Schools and Children from further attacks, the immediate past Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. (Dr.) Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed approved the setting up of Financing Safe Schools Secretariat/Unit for planning and coordinating Safe Schools activities in the Ministry.
A Technical Working Group including the Ministry of Education, Nigerian Governor’s Forum (NGF), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Security Service (DSS) and Defense Headquarters, were saddled with the responsibility to develop a National Plan on the initiative.
According to Halima Illiya Ibrahim, the plan proposes N32.58 billion in 2023, N36.98 billion in 2024, N37.15 billion in 2025 and N38.03 billion in 2026 respectively.
She added that funding of the plan is through Annual Budgetary provisions from Federal, States and Local Governments, government interventionists, Agencies, Foreign and multilateral institutions, Businesses and philanthropist, Donors partners and others.
Mrs. Ibrahim reiterated that the implementation strategy aims to cover 50% of risk Public Schools face over the medium term 2023 – 2026, disclosing that the implementation of the National Plan have kick start with Eighteen high risk States and Forty-eight Schools, and eventually spread across States by 2024.
The plan is focusing on achieving the following; Building and integrating security resilient host communities in the protection of education, strengthen the defection, deference and response capabilities of the security agents, equipping the School security, response and coordination centres in Abuja and States respectively as well as regular engagements and policy advocacy with the Nigeria public and key government officials on implementation of National Plan.
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