The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, and other stakeholders are set to chart strategies which will focus on sustainable measures to protect schools against security threats at the seventh annual summit of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN).
The summit, themed “Schools Under Threat: From Reactive Responses to Sustainable Protection,” is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 a.m. at The Providence Hotel, GRA, Lagos.
It will bring together policymakers, security officials, education professionals and other stakeholders to examine strategies for protecting learners, teachers and school facilities, strengthening emergency preparedness and ensuring continuity of learning amid insecurity.
The Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, will chair the summit.
Other speakers include the National Coordinator of Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Halima Iliya; Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun; Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism, Motunrayo Alaka; National President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools, Robert Okorie; and National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Audu Titus.
The discussions will address preventive measures, early-warning systems, emergency response, community engagement and support for education workers before, during and after security incidents.
Participants will also examine the media’s role in exposing gaps in school protection, sustaining public attention and reporting security incidents responsibly.
Explaining the theme, EWAN Chairman, Mojeed Alabi, said protecting schools must go beyond responding to attacks to establishing sustainable systems that prevent threats and safeguard lives.
“Each attack on a school affects more than the people caught in it. It leaves teachers afraid, parents uncertain and learners at risk of losing access to education. We chose this theme because protecting schools must be a continuous responsibility, with clear plans, adequate funding and people who know what to do when warning signs emerge,” Alabi said.
He stressed the need for schools to have functional emergency plans, adequately prepared teachers and effective mechanisms for securing timely assistance before incidents occur.
“We cannot wait until an incident occurs before asking whether a school has an emergency plan, whether teachers are prepared or whether help can reach those at risk. These questions need answers before an emergency, and the answers must translate into practical protection,” he added.
The summit is open to policymakers, security personnel, education professionals, researchers, development practitioners and civil society representatives.
EWAN is a network of professional education correspondents working across print, broadcast and digital media organisations in Nigeria. Its annual summit provides a platform for discussing critical education issues and promoting informed public debate.
Previous editions have examined issues including public examination integrity, basic education, school safety, research for national development, electricity supply in the education sector and the growing emphasis on certificates over practical skills.
Past keynote speakers include the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Examinations Council, Professor Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi; former Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO, Ambassador Michael Omolewa; former Minister of Education, Professor Chinwe Obaji; Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi; and former Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Peter Okebukola.
Other notable personalities who have attended the annual summit include Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, former Minister of State for Education and now Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction.
