The recent statement by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Dr. Wemi Jones, that the closure of schools in Kogi State is in the “best interest of all stakeholders” deserves a sober but firm response.
No one disputes the responsibility of government to protect lives. Security concerns are real, and the safety of students, teachers, and communities must always come first. However, total shutdown of schools is not the best strategy—it is a temporary escape that creates long-term damage.
Education is not a luxury that can be switched off at will. When schools are closed, children are pushed back into the streets, into farms, into child labour, early marriage, crime, and hopelessness. Teachers are demoralized. Parents are frustrated. Communities lose stability. Insecurity does not disappear—it simply changes shape.
If insecurity is localized or specific to certain zones, then the solution should also be specific, not blanket. The smarter, more sustainable response is deployment, not closure.
Rather than shutting down schools indefinitely, the Kogi State Government should:
Deploy Hunters, Vigilantes, and local security outfits to schools identified as prone to security threats.
Strengthen collaboration between formal security agencies and community-based security networks who understand the terrain.
Establish school protection units to ensure learning continues under watchful eyes.
Improve intelligence gathering instead of punishing innocent students with lost academic time.
No matter how long insecurity lasts, closing schools cannot be the long-term answer. History has shown that societies that stop educating their children during crises only deepen their problems. Education must continue—even during war, pandemics, and security challenges—because it is the foundation of recovery.
Security deployment sends a message of strength, responsibility, and commitment. School closure sends a message of fear and surrender.
The government must choose courage over convenience. Protect the schools. Guard the children. Keep the classrooms open.
That is what truly serves the best interest of all stakeholders.
– Mr. Paul Idachaba writes from Lokoja.
