Why VSF Educational Intervention is Commendable

Identifiable in the list of sad footprints the insurgency is unfortunately registering on the Nigerian soil is random disruption of education opportunities, destruction of school facilities, and rendering to near zero the ability of children to access formal literacy programs.

The danger of this form of challenge when left unaddressed is quite enormous and is even more threatening than most clinical epidemic and a typical evil that men do which according to William Shakespeare will lives after them.

For one to have the sour feel of what kind of danger awaits a society where education of its future generation is obscured, one should just cast one’s mind back to life in Stone Age era when formal education was non-existent and everything were done in crudest form.

Society development experts and authorities appreciate this fact and hardly relent in speaking out in favor of education at every slightest opportunity.

For instance, George Washington, the first President of United States in one of his popular quotes stated that Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom. Nelson Mandela, the globally recognized freedom fighter and the first indigenous president of South Africa in a similar manner referred to Education as the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

The Pakistani education Activist and youngest Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai in her visit to Nigeria advocated mainly on education for victims of Boko haram victim especially female children.

Read also: Reasoning With VSF on Health Intervention Strategies

Bearing in mind the unmistakable fact that when terrorist strikes in any settlement, the inhabitants are either disorganized or displaced and knowing that whatever is the case, children abruptly stop schooling for fears of heightened insecurity. It is therefore commendable for Victims Support Fund VSF to make education intervention one of its core areas of engagement.

To the delight of education watchers and enthusiasts, VSF has been assisting sufferers of Boko Haram attacks in the dimension of enhancing education access for growing children. The educational intervention so far has focused on providing school materials for school children, talking of all the textbooks required, the writing materials, the uniform, the sandals the bag.

The program started with a total of 21,300 children, covering Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and an IDP centre in Benin and is being scaled up periodically. Towards the end of last year another 35,000 children were added to the program.

Beyond that also the Fund has moved into the area of reconstruction of public schools as an essential component of rebuilding public structure that were destroy. One of the worst things that Boko Haram did was the destruction of every facility that is out there.

Nothing is standing in most of the affected areas and VSF like God-sent has started with Dikwa in Borno state where all public structures in the town have been reconstructed-the schools, the hospitals, police barracks, local government secretariat, government lodges, bore holes, everything. From that point, the organization has been trying to facilitate quick return of local governance to many of these places that have been completely devastated and now that people are returning, it is important that state institutions, social services are available to support their return.

The fund is at the final stage of assessment of Boniade in yobe and michika in adamawa to also begin the reconstruction of public schools and other infrastructures. VSF has also virtually completed the assessment of Bama in Borno state prior to reconstruction of public schools and other structures destroyed there.

But beyond all these, the fund is also immediately trying to move to the area of foster care, which is another kind of informal educational. Home up-bringing is a special education.

They are many children out there who have lost both parents and are disconnected from parenthood and need to be looked after and for many of them because of camp situation right now they have adults who are looking after them there. But increasingly as expected, many camps are now being closed as people are beginning to return. Now we have to think very strategically what to do with these children.

As one of the things VSF has encapsulated in its plans and which it is in the process of doing is the foster care system that is unique. Many of these children will be adequately taken care of, given a befitting up-bringing, inculcated with balanced home training and the requisite value system that will enable them to grow up as good citizens of this nation.

Aside the natural features of the universe as created by the providence; every other thing that makes life easier, more meaningful, more fanciful or more enjoyable is a product of education. With passage of time, education continued and will continue to advance in research and development quality of live grows exponentially.

It must be noted that though education gives rise to better quality of live through various inventions, there is however no community, country, race or geographical location that has exclusive reserve or monopoly to invent or develop intellectual property.

However, there is a consensus across the world that education enhances the capacity for rational thinking and hence the ability to contribute more meaningfully to the society.

The role of VSF in ensuring that victims of insurgency do not lose the opportunity to acquire the necessary education to be meaningful part of the society is a step in the right direction which must be cherished on its merit.

Johnson is a Media practitioner based in abuja