Niger State Government has said all public schools should close with effect from Friday, March 12, 2021.
The state government had made the decision at the state executive council meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Government House on Wednesday with Governor Abubakar Sani Bello presiding.
The order was consequent upon a series of insecurity crisis within the state.
A statement from the Ministry of Education signed by the Information Officer, Jibrin Usman Kodo, which confirmed the closure of the schools, said that the closure of the schools would be for two weeks.
The statement further says that the policy was necessary “to give relevant security agencies the time and opportunity to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of all public secondary Schools in the state.”
According to the statement, “The exercise, when completed, will provide an all-inclusive mechanism and strategies that will restore and guarantee sustainable security and safety of students, school infrastructure, education managers, teachers in the state.”
The statement emphasised the government’s commitment to leave no stone unturned to ensure that all schools were safe environments for effective teaching and learning.
It said Government urged the people of the state not to relent in their show of solidarity, cooperation and collaboration with it in this critical task of surmounting security challenges, especially in the school system.
Not less than 22 schools (11-day schools and 11 boarding schools) were closed in the wake of the kidnap of 42 persons, 27 of the students from the Government Science College, Kagara.
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