A prominent northern women’s coalition, Voices for Inclusion and Equity for Women (VIEW), has criticised the recent blanket school closures ordered by several northern state governments in response to mass abductions, saying the policy risks creating a long-term education emergency particularly for girls.
At a press briefing convened on 25 November 2025, VIEW representatives said shutting down public schools as a default security response is short-sighted and will push already vulnerable girls out of formal education. The group noted that where schools close for extended periods, dropout rates spike and many students, especially girls never return.
According to the group, school closures while understandable from a security standpoint risk setting back female education by decades. They warn that once girls drop out due to safety concerns, forced marriages, poverty, or household responsibilities often prevent their return.
The coalition called on government to focus instead on safe-school infrastructure, increased security patrols, community-based vigilance teams, and improved intelligence sharing. They emphasized that education must not become a casualty of insecurity and insisted that blanket shutdowns only embolden criminal groups by signaling state weakness.
