FG budgets N15 billion to finance Safe Schools Initiative for students in conflict zones

The Nigerian Government has announced that a total of N15 billion has been earmarked to fund the implementation of Financing Safe Schools for 2023.

This was disclosed in a statement on Wednesday by the Ministry of Information and the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, after a press briefing by The National Co-ordinator on Safe Schools Initiative, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Halima Illiya Ibrahim in Abuja.

The Initiative aims to enable Children affected by conflicts and insecurity to continue with their education unhindered

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Safe schools

Halima Illiya Ibrahim revealed that funds are for the implementation of Financing Safe Schools for 2023.

She also added that the Initiative aimed to enable Children affected by conflicts and insecurity to continue with their education unhindered and charting a way forward in addressing attacks on education.

According to the statement, 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 the Financing Safe Schools Secretariat/Unit for planning and coordinating Safe Schools activities in the Ministry, adding;

“A Technical Committee or Technical Working Group which constituted critical agencies, 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 Financing Safe Schools, and consequently, in December 2022,  developed a plan, which was launched, which will be implemented between 2023 – 2026 with a total investment size of N144.86 billion.
“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.

Funding

Ibrahim revealed that FG plans to fund the initiative, through Annual Budgetary provisions from Federal, State, and Local Governments, government interventionists, Agencies, Foreign and multilateral institutions, Businesses and philanthropists, Donors partners, and others., adding:

“The implementation strategy aims to cover 50% of the most risk Public Schools over the medium term 2023 – 2026, disclosing that, the implementation of the National Plan has kick-started with Eighteen (18) high-risk States and Forty-eight (48) Schools, hoping that it will spread across States by 2024.

Focus

The welfare chief stated that the initiative aims to build and integrate security-resilient host communities in the protection of education, others include:

“Strengthen the defection, deference, and response capabilities of the security agents.
“Equipping the School security, response, and coordination centers in Abuja and States respectively.
“Regular engagements and policy advocacy with the Nigerian public and key government officials on implementation of National Plan.