500 schools closed in Burkina Faso after attacks on education

More than 70,000 children have had their education stopped after a series of terrorist聽threats and attacks in Burkina Faso.

Security has been deteriorating rapidly聽in the west African country’s聽northern聽Sahel region聽over the past few weeks –聽and about 500 schools have closed as a result.

Some schoolchildren even saw their teacher being murdered by a terrorist group.

“Repeated terrorist attacks and threats have聽created a widespread fear and possible trauma聽among teachers, children and the population,”聽said a report by the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF about the situation in聽Soum and聽neighbouring聽provinces聽.

In January, gunmen聽threatened teachers聽in three schools – ordering them to stop teaching in French and to use Koranic education.

Primary schools in聽Nassoumbou commune聽were targeted by聽repeated terrorist attacks, said the Ministry of Education.聽

And on聽March 4聽a聽teacher and another聽civilian were murdered by the same group in聽Kourfayel, a village close to the Soum聽capital of Djibo.聽

UNICEF added: “Although the exact scale is not known, many children and their families are now displaced to other聽provinces or other regions due to the insecurity concerns.

“Special attention should be paid to these聽children as they need to be identified and receive necessary protection support, particularly psychosocial聽support services and education.”

The security situation is also affecting the development of young children. Several health centres have been closed, depriving more than 7000 under-fives and 2000 pregnant women of their services.

Also affected is scheduled work on building or improving wells and toilets in schools and health centres.

UNICEF said 4430 teachers need to be trained聽on psycho-social聽services and providing聽education in emergencies, including safe schools and peace building.聽

Burkina Faso is not one of the 59 countries that have signed the Safe Schools Declaration.

In February, the聽World Food Programme聽warned it was being affected by lack of funding for its activities in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso.

WFP has provided聽daily school meals to 70,000 children in two Soum and Seno聽districts of the Sahel region聽and monthly take-home rations to 4000 girls over the past two years.

These rations help parents to keep their daughters at school in a region where child marriage is common practice. WFP has contributed to the improvement of enrolment, attendance and retention in the region, particularly for girls.

Enrolment in Burkina Faso’s primary schools is 83.7% – but only 40.2% in secondary school, according 2015 figures from the Global Partnership for Education.