Following the rising wave of insecurity in schools, Human Development Initiative, HDI, with the support of MacArthur Foundation has called on the state government to beef up security in schools.

They made the call at a training session for SBMC members by Human Development Initiatives (HDI) on capacity building training for secondary school teachers, principals on the role of SBMC, around the issues that have to do with tracking and monitoring projects particularly on use and utilization of funds that have been signed to finance projects in their respective schools.

Speaking at the event, Mrs. Olufunso Owasanoye, the Executive Director HDI-Nigeria said, “It is the collective responsibility of everybody in the society to see that our educational system works. This involves the parent, teachers, head of schools, and government.

She said SBMC members need to rise up, strategise to ensure community schools’ needs are met.

Also, the programme officer of the organization, Johnson Ibidapo, in his words said: “The essence of this training is for capacity building for School-Based management committee members in secondary school in Lagos State. We want them to be well informed, well equipped, and confident enough to engage, such that education delivery in Lagos State will be better than what we currently have.

Speaking further, he said: “We want a situation where SBMC and school administrators would be able to work together to ensure there is quality delivery of education either basic education or secondary education.

“So, at this level, we are building capacity to ensure that every child of school age is enrolled in school. We are talking of enrolment, retention, and completion of education. Then, we want to ensure quality delivery of education infrastructures is met.”

Mr. Johnson in a statement on the rising insecurity in schools said: “We appeal to the federal government to listen to the voice of reason to convey a security stakeholders forum where everybody comes to the table to discuss and dialogue on the way forward”. I believe this will help to reduce the tension around the country”.

“We are appealing to all stakeholders in the education sector whether basic education, secondary and tertiary education to come to the table and see themselves as key people who can help in ensuring security in schools. And let us have a dialogue and chart a course forward particularly in dealing with the issue of security”.

On the rate of out of school students as a result of covid-19 pandemic, Mr. Johnson said: “Its a very big issue and we are so concern as important stakeholders in the education sector, particularly given the fact that Nigeria has always been the headquarter of out of school children in the entire world and that is not a good story”.

“However, we feel that this challenge can be tackled in a way that all and sundry are brought to the table of discussion”.

In addition, he said: “We are working with different stakeholder groups to ensure that in Lagos state particularly, the number of out of school children we have in town goes down drastically because the Lagos state government is doing a whole lot, and then we see ourselves HDI, as a worthy partner to actually collaborate and work together with the government”.