We lost 1,500 schools to Boko Haram in North East, says NGO

An NGO under the sponsorship of ‘Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, WARDC, said on Thursday that Boko Haram terrorist group had destroyed over 1,500 schools in Northern Nigeria in the last six years
Founder of WARDC, Dr Abiola Awolabi, who stated this to newsmen at a two day workshop in Maiduguri, said that of this figure, about 525 of the destroyed schools were in Borno.
Awolabi lamented that some schools in Borno were used as camps by both security operatives and IDPs, leading to their closure for more than two years.
“It would be recalled that series of meetings facilitated by the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center and its collaborator in Borno state; GEDPAC with support of UN Democracy Fund, were held. The key stakeholders in the education sector met and agreed to minimum guidelines to standardise requirement for safe schools in Nigeria as an immediate response for strengthening the protection of children and teachers in the education sector. The stakeholders agreed to the use of guidelines for protections of schools from any form of dangerous attacks,” she said.
Awolabi furthermore explained that Head Teachers were expected to lead training of staff and students on emergency drills on a monthly basis.
“Access to school must be controlled to ensure safety and security. Safety measures should include maintaining a strong school visitor’s policy and limiting entry points.
“Hence forth, every visitor must register in a log-book, stating reasons for visit, time of entrance and exit from school,” she said