Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative #GAWE2022 Events 

Gawe Picture Resized01

#ProtectEiENow

dRPC Partnered with BBYDI for the 2022 Global Action Week for Education, featuring a Press Conference and Policy Dialogue on National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools in Nigeria

“Attacks on schools and students are a threat to the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goal 4 which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promotes lifelong opportunities for all. In Nigeria, children are being prevented from accessing education through incessant attacks on schools and the abduction of students” Olasupo Abideen, BBYDI. 

For the 2022 edition of GAWE, Brain Builders Youth Development Initiative organised a press briefing and a learning dialogue session on school safety. The strategic intent of the learning dialogue was centred around the following objective: 

  • Increase political will to guarantee public quality, transformative and inclusive education with lifelong learning prior to and post emergencies at the local, national, regional and global levels.  
  • Increase public financing for education and lifelong learning in emergencies, including mobilisation of resources for Safe Schools in Nigeria. 
  • Raise the voices of the people whose education is affected by emergencies by keeping them at the centre of the global education agenda while increasing their capacities to promote their involvement in the decision-making processes.

Robust discussions, debates and engagement took place. The following outcomes and recommendations emerged from the discussions:

  • A call for collaboration at all levels to keep schools safe and protect education in the context of emergencies.
  • Use indigenous knowledge, including local languages to build local education advocacy structures that champion and promote peace and safety in school. 
  • Train critical stakeholders on the Safe Schools Declaration. 
  • Participants were sentitised on key issues outlined in the Safe Schools Declaration and what they can do to promote it and hold those in power accountable. 
  • The media participate in the event and amplified its outcomes. 
  • A call was made for resource mobilisation to organise follow up events. 
  • Pledges were made to join the civil society Safe School Movement being championed by the dRPC. 
  • Deepen the use of community radio, and traditional and religious leaders to promote peace and safety in schools and communities at large.
  • Commitment to establishing a culture of learning and sharing. 

Keeping schools safe should not be seen as the duty of the government alone. Everyone has a role to play; community and religious leaders, security agencies, civil society organisations, people with special needs, parents, and community-based groups must all get involved. In matters of peace and security, we are all stakeholders. We must assist security agencies with information and intelligence gathering, which is key to preventing some of these attacks that take place in schools.

Wayforward 

BBYDI will carry out awareness campaigns in 50 Secondary schools across three Senatorial districts in Kwara, form a coalition of Stakeholders working on Safe Schools for quarterly review, train 100 Safe School Champions (Teachers, Community Leaders, Youth leaders), and organised a one-day Joint Stakeholder Symposium and Workshop, Create a Safe School Reporting portal, purchase and distribute safety kits, bell and whistle to remote schools.

BBYDI acknowledges its funding partners- The development Research and Project Centre(dRPC) under the CSO Safe School Movement and technical partner-The Global Campaign for Education

Share this article

The Global Campaign for Education (GCE) is a civil society movement that aims to end exclusion in education. Education is a basic human right, and our mission is to make sure that governments act now to deliver the right of everyone to a free, quality, public education.