Education Above All (EAA) Foundation strongly condemned the armed raid on a secondary school in Katsina, Nigeria, on Friday evening, which left hundreds of students missing.
EAA called on the urgent need for nations to unite to protect education from attack, to ensure that the fundamental human right of access to safe, quality education is secured, according to a statement issued in Doha yesterday.
Mubarak al-Thani, head of Advocacy at EAA, commented: “The recent attack in Nigeria must act as a rallying cry to the international community to protect education. No matter the scale of destruction, each attack reminds us of the importance that lies in protecting the next generation’s right to education as the single most effective means of creating prosperous, peaceful and just societies.”
According to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, there were 11,000 reports of attacks on education worldwide in the last five years – 7,000 of which were deliberate. In total, 22,000 students, teachers, and education personnel were harmed.
It was on September 9 this year that EAA commemorated the inaugural UN International Day to Protect Education from Attack. Earlier this year, continuous efforts from Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson of EAA and UN Sustainable Development Goals Advocate, led to the adoption of UN General Assembly resolution to organise this day.
