FG creates Safe Schools Department to strengthen security in schools

The Federal Government has established a dedicated Safe Schools Department within the Federal Ministry of Education as part of efforts to enhance the safety and protection of students across Nigeria.

Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, announced the development while appearing before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Safe Schools Initiative. He said the new department would provide stronger institutional leadership and improve the coordination of school safety programmes nationwide.

According to the minister, the newly created department replaces the former Safe Schools Unit and will oversee the planning, implementation and monitoring of school safety initiatives across the country.

Alausa explained that the ministry would implement the Safe Schools Initiative through a unified national framework aimed at improving accountability, coordination and effective delivery of security measures in all 774 local government areas.

He said the Federal Ministry of Education is working closely with the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), among other agencies, to strengthen security around schools.

The minister noted that the growing security and welfare challenges facing learners require a coordinated national response rather than isolated interventions.

He added that while security agencies would continue to carry out their constitutional responsibilities, the ministry would focus on providing policy direction, coordinating implementation with state governments and ensuring schools benefit from the initiative.

Addressing questions on funding, Alausa clarified that some grants and budgetary allocations currently under review were released before he assumed office and were administered at the time by the Federal Ministry of Finance.