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The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, is billed to keynote the seventh annual summit of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN) with the theme: “Schools Under Threat: From Reactive Responses to Sustainable Protection”.
The summit, which is scheduled to hold on Wednesday in Lagos, will examine practical ways to protect learners, teachers and school facilities, strengthen preparedness and ensure that education continues when insecurity disrupts school activities.
The Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, will chair the summit, which is expected to feature the National Coordinator, Financing Safe Schools in Nigeria, Halima Iliya; Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun; Chief Executive Officer of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), Motunrayo Alaka; National President of the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), Robert Okorie; and the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Audu Titus.
Their contributions will connect government policy and financing with the daily realities of managing schools, protecting teachers and learners, and holding institutions accountable for safety commitments.
Discussions will cover preventive measures, early warning systems, emergency response, community engagement and the support education workers require before, during and after security incidents. The summit will also examine the media’s role in exposing gaps in school protection, sustaining public attention and reporting security incidents responsibly.
The summit is open to policymakers, security personnel, education professionals, researchers, development practitioners and civil society representatives.
Explaining the choice of the theme, EWAN Chairman Mojeed Alabi said school protection must extend beyond emergency responses following attacks.
“Each attack on a school affects more than the people caught in it. It leaves teachers afraid, parents uncertain and learners at risk of losing access to education. We chose this theme because protecting schools must be a continuous responsibility, with clear plans, adequate funding and people who know what to do when warning signs emerge,” Mr Alabi said.
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According to him, the theme is particularly important as threats to school safety place pressure on education communities to protect lives while sustaining teaching and learning.
“We cannot wait until an incident occurs before asking whether a school has an emergency plan, whether teachers are prepared or whether help can reach those at risk. These questions need answers before an emergency, and the answers must translate into practical protection,” he said.
EWAN is a network of professional education correspondents from print, broadcast and digital media organisations across Nigeria. Its annual summit provides a platform for examining pressing education issues and promoting informed public debate.
Previous editions of the summit have addressed the integrity of public examinations, basic education, school safety, research for national development, electricity supply in the education sector, and the growing emphasis on certificates over practical skills.
The event’s keynote speakers over the years have included Prof. Dantani Ibrahim Wushishi, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Examinations Council (NECO); Ambassador Michael Omolewa, former Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO; Prof. Chinwe Obaji, former Minister of Education; Dr Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos; and Prof. Peter Okebukola, former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), among other distinguished personalities.
Other personalities, including Dr Yusuf Tanko Sununu, former Minister of State for Education, and now Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, have graced the annual event.
