Nigerian Teachers Bag 2018 Safe School Heroes Award

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The Independent Award Committee of the 2018 Safe School Awards has unanimously voted Nigerian Teachers as winners of the 2018 Safe School Heroes Award. Dr Nasir M. Idris and Dr Mark Ike Ene, National President and Secretary General of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) respectively will receive the Award on behalf of Nigerian Teachers on Thursday, 15th November 2018 at Green Minds Hotel, Utako, Abuja.

The Award is in recognition and appreciation of the patriotism, commitment, dedication, determination and courage of Nigerian Teachers  to sustain teaching and learning in schools across Nigeria even in environments of escalating and complex security risks, threats and vulnerabilities. A few examples highlight why

Teachers deserve to be recognized and celebrated.

Teachers, Students and pupils have been kidnapped for ransom from schools in towns across the country including Lagos, Benin, Ontisha, Aba,  Port Harcourt, Abuja, Kotangora, Kaduna, Kano , etc. Teachers are battling to contain the spread of cultism from tertiary institutions to secondary and primary schools at great risks. 

Flood disasters have claimed the lives of teachers, destroyed their properties and displaced them. Reports from National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) indicate that flood disasters have affected over 5000 schools in 12 States of Nigeria since 2012. Over 1000 primary schools and 800 secondary schools were totally destroyed   while 200 secondary schools 3000 primary schools were partially damaged within the period

On April 13, 2018, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) released a report to the effect that at least 2,295 teachers had been killed in the North East alone since 2009. The report also said that more than 1, 000 children had been abducted and 1,400 schools destroyed.

Taken together, terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, cultism, armed robbery, fire, medical and flood emergencies have claimed the lives of over 3,000 teachers since 2009.

Teachers are not only traumatized by these orgies of senseless crimes and violence  but have the additional task of managing and healing the emotional and psychological wounds of their frightened and confused  students and pupils. The physical insecurity being suffered by teachers is compounded in many States by economic insecurity occasioned by many months of arrears of salary.

Yet Teachers continue to soldier on, to defy fear and keep schools open and running in environments of great insecurity despite the fact that many have paid the ultimate price with their lives.

This is why the 2018 Safe School Heroes Award is dedicated to the memory of fallen teachers. We, the survivors, will and should never forget them. The award is also a small token of appreciation to all teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in Nigeria for patriotic efforts in the face of great odds.  

The Award ceremony, which comes as climax of the 2018 edition of the Annual Safe School Leadership Empowerment Conference scheduled to hold from 12th to 16th November, will also feature presentation of the Safe School Leadership Impact Award to deserving Governors and Heads of Educational Ministries, Agencies and Institutions for outstanding and exemplary performance in promoting safety and security in schools under their leadership influence

It is hoped that the event, hosted by Safe School Academy International in collaboration with Ethics Resource Centre Nigeria, Exam Ethics Marshals International and other stakeholders, will inspire more leaders into action against the background of the warning by 2018 United Nations report on Children and Armed Conflicts to the effect that Schools will continue to be targets of choice for terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping and other crimes.

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