UNICEF describes Safe school as the best remedy to solution for out of school children in Bauchi.

Safe School has been described as the best remedy to solution for out of school children in Bauchi State.

This was disclosed by the UNICEF Bauchi Field Office Education Specialist, Alhaji Abdulrahman Ibrahim Ado, during the State Level Sensitization on Safe School and desimination of Safe School Minimum Standard Monitoring Report, organized by Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board in Collaboration with UNICEF Bauchi Field Office.

Abdulrahman Ibrahim said, Safe School activities is of Paramount important for UNICEF activities to ensure Children have access to quality education through conducive atmosphere for free and learning environment.

He said being an initiative of UNICEF, most countries across the globe including Nigeria ratified to support safe school declaration, that made Bauchi Field Office to support the State to implement the policy

The UNICEF education specialist, highlighted some of the interventions by the UNICEF to include supporting the State to domesticate safe school declaration, building the capacity of education stakeholders at state, Local Governments and community levels to put inputs for safe learning to everyone.

Ibrahim Ado, said UNICEF conducted the first and second round survey in Bauchi State to come up with the pillars for the state to respond, based on the twenty One Minimum Standard for safe school by the UNICEF.

He mentioned some of the minimum standard to include, good physical structure, safe from violence against Children, safe from natural hazards, safe from conflict which prompted SUBEB and UNICEF to bring together all education secretaries from twenty LGAs to share the report with them on how to tackle the issue from grassroot level.

According to UNICEF education specialist, dilapidated learning environment discourages parent from enrolling their children in schools and called for Bauchi State Government to train and retrain teachers on how to approach natural disasters, encourage psychosocial support, provide mechanism for teachers to report any harassment and to ensure provide quality buildings for man made and natural disasters to be addressed in learning environment.

He also called for the provision of functional hand washing system, enough toilets for teachers and learners, pads for adolescent girls for effective learning to take place.

In a score card presentation on Safe Schools for Bauchi State, Malam Saleh Muhammad the Independent Education System Strengthening Consultant, said Bauchi State need to put more effort in fencing Schools in nooks and crannies of the state, establish early warning system to address natural hazards, addressing violence against Children at home and on the way to school, training school based management committee and implement guidelines for school entry and security, provide safe schools infrastructure and ensure effective supervision in schools for smooth teaching and learning activities.

Some of the education secretaries from Local Governments interviewed assured to implement the recommendations by UNICEF at their own level to help Bauchi State meet the desired objective in education sector.