Journalists in Bauchi State have been urged to advocate for the National Policy for Safety, Security, and Violence-Free Schools (NPSSVS) to enhance students’ safety.
This call was made during a media roundtable organized by the Safe Schools Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Cluster, under the USAID-Enhance Safe and Secure Education for All (ESSEA) Project.
In his presentation, Mr. Nicholas Oshojah of the Thamani for Women and Youth Development Initiative highlighted the media’s crucial role in promoting safe school environments, gender-responsive teaching, and comfortable classroom settings. He encouraged journalists to focus on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) stories.
Ms. Noadiah Babas from the Young Leaders Network (YLN) emphasized the need for increased budgetary allocations and accountability for school safety measures.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Bauchi State, Comrade Umar Saidu, while welcoming the participants, stressed the importance of understanding and disseminating the policy effectively.
He assured that the NUJ’s involvement in the initiative would help achieve the project’s objectives by educating the public on safeguarding children and school infrastructure.
Mr. Jinjiri Garba, Chairman of the Bauchi State Network of Civil Societies (BASNEC), noted that community engagement is vital for achieving the project’s goals.
Mr. Garba pointed out that insecurity in some communities leads to school dropouts and called on the government to implement the policy locally to protect educational facilities and students. He added that the destruction of facilities by vandals exposes children to various dangers.
Ahmed Muhammad Ahmed of the Bauchi Radio Corporation (BRC) pledged media support for the safe schools initiative.
The event was attended by journalists from various media outlets, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Education and the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB
 emphasized the need for increased budgetary allocations and accountability for school safety measures.){kind=link}