THE IMPACT OF INSURGENCY ON EDUCATION IN NORTH-EAST NIGERIA

Education has great benefit to both the individuals and to the society at large. Education provides the platform to train the mind, instil doctrines and morals of life and thus help shape the future of several generations as well as improve the living standard of the citizens. In North-East of Nigeria, the future and existence of educational system has been constantly threatened. The next generation of leaders in this region has been robbed of access to basic education, much worse for the girl child. Between 2009 and 2016, the activity of boko-haram members have led to the death of over 600 teachers, destruction of 900 schools and also forced shutdown of about 1500 schools as the activity of the insurgency constantly threatened the safety of both lives of students and teachers. Parents are forced to choose between the life of their wards and education. This paper understudies the negative impact of the boko haram menace on children's access to basic education in North-East Nigeria by reviewing existing literatures, documentaries and data from survey. The findings of this review reveal the long term effect of insurgency on the nation's already strained educational system as a result of both the actions of Boko Haram insurgent and the military. They include the use of school facilities as military assets, reduced school attendance, poor academic performance and depletion of educational facilities. It is therefore recommended that actions be taken to curb the prolonged existence of this crisis. These includes: full implementation of the "Safe School Declaration", use of the media to teach the message of peace from the Quran, ensure access to quality education, infrastructure development in the north-east Nigeria, empower NGOs in the de-radicalization campaign, better incentives for the Nigeria military deployed to the affected region and better security within these remote communities to protect and reassure the citizens. Lastly, better schools should be built to replace the ones destroyed.