To mark International Literacy Day and the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ) will host the September edition of its Journalism & Society Conversations, themed “Literacy Under Attack: The Responsibility of Protecting Education Through Safer Schools,” virtually on X Spaces on Tuesday, 8 September 2026.
The virtual session will bring together journalists, education stakeholders, security experts, civil society leaders, and policy advocates to examine the systemic insecurity threatening basic education in Nigeria and interrogate how institutional frameworks can effectively safeguard learning environments.
The conversation comes against the backdrop of persistent attacks and mass abductions targeting educational institutions across the country, including the recent June 2026 abduction of 36 students and a staff member at Government Day Secondary School in Lassa, Borno State, and coordinated attacks on schools in Oyo State earlier in May 2026.
While Nigeria has established institutional responses, such as endorsing the Safe Schools Declaration, releasing the 2021 National Policy for Safety, Security and Violence-Free Schools, and establishing the National Safe Schools Response Coordination Centre (NSSRCC), significant gaps remain between policy commitments and practical protection for learners and teachers.
Building on the foundation of WSCIJ’s Regulators Monitoring Programme (REMOP), which has supported over 56 investigative reports on basic education and civic accountability across Nigeria, the September conversation will focus on moving beyond reporting initial attacks to investigating the structural, financial, and political failures that allow insecurity to persist.
Key discussion areas for the event will explore the real-world impact of displacement, school closures, and violence on learners, teachers, and communities, while evaluating long-term government support beyond initial headlines. Panellists will also interrogate institutional accountability across federal, state, and local security agencies, empower investigative reporters to track commitments using data and public records, and identify practical, actionable steps to build resilient, secure learning environments for Nigeria’s future.
Join the September Editon of the Journalism & Society Conversations here: https://bit.ly/WSCIJ-Xspace-Sep
