Focusing on Child Protection as we Celebrate World Education Day.

By Olabisi AFOLABI

Nelson Mandela posited that education is the most powerful weapon to change the world.

Our precious children have a right to education and today as we celebrate the International Day of Education, we cannot but reiterate that protection and education is in a marriage that can never be dissolved.

From our work and research, we have seen without any iota of second guessing that Education cannot take place except children feel safe. The right to Education is hinged on the protection of our children.

The major agent of dissemination is the school if the school is unsafe for our precious children, their Right to Education is ultimately hindered.

The recent avoidable mishaps and deaths in and through schools has shown us that children’s right to protection and by extension the right to education is not respected.

The most recent case, being the killing of Hanifa who was allegedly killed in Kano by her school teacher who kidnapped her after collecting a ransom of N6m. He allegedly poisononed the little girl and buried her in a shallow grave when she recognised him.’ This definitely hinges strongly on safer recruitment which is one of the pillars of a child protection system.

Cases like this do not only affect the victims but also affect other learners.

As we celebrate today, let us clamour for conscious effort towards protection in our schools so that education as a right and concept can be effective thereby transforming the lives of our children.

Let’s join the #NOPROTECTIONNOSCHOOL Campaign.