Educationist Urges Help For Abducted Children To Heal Trauma

Chief executive officer (CEO) of STEM Child Care Academy, Abuja and founder of the online platform EduReach, Mamu Alhaji Muhammad, has called for urgent support to help abducted children in Kebbi and Niger states overcome trauma and return to school.

Muhammad who stated this at a press in Abuja yesterday, said terrorism is threatening the future of Nigerian children.

He announced a two-year full scholarship for all rescued students from Kebbi and Niger states, in a move aimed at restoring hope and learning opportunities for abducted children in northern Nigeria.

While lamenting the dire state of education in Nigeria, he noted that terrorism continues to threaten the futures of young learners, and stated that EduReach’s scholarship programme seeks to tackle these challenges head-on.

According to him, the initiative provides access to Nigerian and Cambridge curricula, STEM subjects including robotics, coding, and artificial intelligence, as well as pre-recorded lessons delivered by experienced educators.

He said students will also benefit from lesson notes, quizzes, assignments, live discussion forums, and personalised learning paths tailored to their individual progress.

“The recent abductions in Kebbi and Niger States, which forced the closure of schools in several areas, are tragedies that compound an already fragile education system.

“The abduction of schoolchildren risks swelling the ranks of out-of-school children, as these acts of terror are intended to instil fear and discourage parents from sending their children to school,” he warned.

Muhammad described a sector plagued by outdated curricula, insufficient teachers, poor infrastructure, and inadequate instructional materials.

He noted that official figures reveal only about 350,000 teachers serve 46 million students at the basic and senior secondary levels, creating a student–teacher ratio of roughly 130:1, far above the global benchmark of 20:1. Nearly half of the nation’s teachers are unqualified, and around 20 per cent leave the profession each year.

He also pointed to harmful cultural practices such as early marriage and teenage pregnancy, alongside structural challenges like poverty, which further weaken education in the region.

Muhammad added that rescued children face another challenge, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can hinder their return to learning.

“We have formally written to the respective state governments to extend this offer as part of our commitment to supporting the recovery and reintegration of these students into learning.”

He urged all stakeholders to collaborate in addressing the longstanding issues within Nigeria’s education sector, calling for concerted action to ensure that rescued children not only return to school but thrive in a supportive learning environment.

“No child should be denied the right to safe, equitable, and quality education,” he emphasised.

The platform, according to him, allows flexible enrolment, repeated review of lessons, and self-paced learning, effectively replicating the school system online.

He emphasised that it helps students learn faster, keeps them ahead in class, supports teachers in refreshing their skills, and could reduce the need for physical classroom attendance.