The National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre Commander, Hammed Abodunrin, has announced plans to register up to 10,000 schools across various states as the new academic sessions commence.
This initiative aims to bolster the safety of students and teachers in the face of rising insecurity and the resurgence of mass abductions.
The Safe School portal launched in September 2023, was designed to streamline school registration and enable swift and coordinated responses from security agencies during attacks.
In May 2024, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Ahmed Audi, expedited the process by deploying 2,000 personnel as Desk Officers across the country’s 774 local government areas.
According to a report by The PUNCH, 5,474 primary and secondary schools had joined the Safe School Project within 11 months as of August 2024.
Speaking to The PUNCH on Friday, Abodunrin stressed the need for a strong and stable internet connection to facilitate the registration process, which requires logging the precise coordinates of each school.
“The dates of resumption are different from one state to another and registration will begin as each state’s academic session starts”, Abodunrin said. “We aim to register as many schools as possible, provided conditions are favourable”.
He added that the registration process involves more than just adding schools to the system. It includes training teachers and students on personal security and school protection.
“We do not just register schools; we also train teachers and students on their security and for the schools. Modestly, we should be able to get 10,000 schools registered”, Abodunrin stated.
