By Sunday John
Lafia – Tijjani Ahmed, the Nasarawa State Commissioner for Education, has urged proprietors of private schools to beef up security in their schools in order to protect their students and teachers.
The commissioner made this call on Thursday in a meeting with proprietors of private schools in Lafia.
According to him, the call became imperative, in view of the current kidnapping of students and teachers in other states of the federation.
He noted that the State Government put in place the precautionary measures in order to safeguard the schools before any unpleasant thing could happen.
Ahmed explained that apart from the parameter fencing, the school management needed to beef up security and monitor human and vehicular movements in and out of the the schools.
“The management should put machinery in motion to ensure that anybody coming in or out of the school including the staff goes through a check.
“You should also do a serious background checking on all applicants for security positions in order to avoid employment of criminals,” he added.
Ahmed added that the government was partnering with the police and other security agencies in the state to safeguard all public schools, especially those with boarding facilities.
He explained that the government had already begun the parameter fencing of all schools with most of the projects already completed.
The commissioner, therefore, said that a team of supervisors from the ministry would start to go round the schools to monitor compliance with the operation guidelines for security.
Responding on behalf of the proprietors of private schools, Charity Manzuche, expressed gratitude to the government for giving them the opportunity to contribute to the state educational development.
She, however, called for a downward review of charges levied on private schools in order to enable them provide conducive learning environments and pay their staff as at when due.
