Niger State Government Suspends Boarding Schools In Rural Areas

The Niger State government has suspended boarding schools in the rural areas of the state to avert further abduction of students by bandits.

The state’s Commissioner of Education, Hannatu Salihu, said this in a statement she issued on Tuesday.

Salihu said the decision was reached at a management meeting with directors of the ministry, zonal directors of Quality Assurance, and heads of agencies.

The commissioner stated that all principals have been provided with specific details in respect of the arrangements as they are expected to work in collaboration with their zonal directors to ensure compliance in light of the demands of current security realities.

She said the government had closed the schools for two weeks to enable it conduct a risk assessment, after which it decided to improve security in the schools.

The reopening arrangement comes six weeks after scores of students and staff were abducted by gunmen in Government Science College in Kagara, Rafi local government area of the state.

The state governor declared the closure of all boarding schools in Rafi and three other neighbouring local government areas the following day.

The students and the staff kidnapped were later released after ten days in captivity.

While boarding schools in rural areas are to reopen as day schools, those in high-risk areas will reopen later as clusters in selected safe areas.