Across Nigeria, parents are being forced into impossible choices as insecurity keeps classrooms empty and replaces the familiar rhythm of the school run with fear, hesitation and constant calculation.

The threat of kidnappings, armed attacks and violent crime has turned once-safe learning spaces into danger zones , particularly in northern states , leaving thousands of children at home and parents gripped by a daily sense of dread.

For many families, education has now slipped behind safety on the list of priorities, a heartbreaking trade-off no parent should ever have to make.

For teachers in the affected schools ,  especially those in private institutions ,  the uncertainty is even more devastating. With classrooms shuttered indefinitely, many do not know what fate awaits them. Will salaries still come? How will they feed their families or keep their homes running while waiting for authorities to deem it safe to reopen? As insecurity forces schools to go dark, these teachers are left suspended between fear and financial ruin, unsure how long they can hold on.

What is emerging is a crisis that stretches far beyond academics: a profound reshaping of childhood, the disruption of family life, the uncertain fate of dedicated teachers, and the deep psychological toll on entire communities.

The insecurity crisis in Nigerian schools hit a tragic peak in mid-November 2025, when armed assailants attacked Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State. On the first day of the assault, one student managed to escape, but the vice-principal reportedly lost his life in the attack. Over the following days, all 24 remaining girls were eventually released, bringing relief but little comfort to a traumatised community.

Barely four days later, St. Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State, suffered a similarly harrowing attack. Armed groups abducted around 303 schoolchildren, spanning nursery, primary, and secondary levels, along with 12 teachers. While the authorities have since confirmed that the abducted children and teachers were freed, the incidents have done little to restore confidence among parents, teachers, and local communities. For many, the releases, though welcome, do not erase the fear that schools may remain unsafe and unpredictable zones of violence.

These successive attacks underscore a growing national crisis, one that threatens not only the education of thousands of children but also the stability and peace of entire communities. Parents remain wary of sending their children back to classrooms, while teachers face ongoing uncertainty over their safety and livelihoods.

Today, parents are trapped in an agonising dilemma, torn between sending their children to school and keeping them safe at home. For some, the prolonged closures have not only disrupted education but also strained family life, forcing caregivers to juggle work, childcare, and constant anxiety over what the future may hold.

For teachers, the shutdowns are far more than interruptions to lesson plans; they strike at the core of their livelihoods and well-being. Many must navigate the difficult balance between protecting their own safety and fulfilling their professional responsibilities, often with little guidance or support.

No doubt, students are losing critical learning time, social interaction, and the structure that schools provide, raising the risk of long-term academic setbacks and psychological consequences.

Some may argue that several of the affected schools were on the verge of conducting their first-term assessment exams before the shutdown. The pressing question now is,  what happens after the short holiday? With classrooms still closed and no clear reopening timeline, students face the prospect of falling further behind, while parents and teachers are left unsure how to salvage the academic calendar.

As the country struggles to contain rising insecurity under emergency declarations, experts warn that the crisis exposes deeper vulnerabilities in Nigeria’s education system and raises urgent questions about the government’s ability to protect citizens while safeguarding the right to learn.

In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and across northern states, insecurity has become a formidable barrier to education. Parents, teachers, and students are confronting a harsh new reality,  sudden school closures, reports of abductions, armed robberies, one-chance violent attacks, and even ritual killings have become increasingly common. While security deployments and revised strategies have been implemented, the threats continue to disrupt daily life and learning.

In a bid to mitigate risks, the federal government, through a circular issued by the Ministry of Education on 21 November 2025, ordered the closure of 41 Federal Unity Colleges located in high-risk areas. The ministry stressed that the measure was precautionary but provided no clear timeline for reopening.

State governments in Kebbi, Bauchi Niger , and many others  followed suit, temporarily shutting down public schools and, in some cases, converting boarding institutions to day schools to reduce exposure to danger. Even in states without official closure mandates, some schools, such as Federal Government College Bwari, opted to shut down voluntarily. These abrupt closures have thrown the education system into disarray, leaving families, educators, and students grappling with uncertainty about the future of learning in affected communities.

Some concerned parents and teachers have expressed deep worry over the impact of school closures on students and their families.

Mrs. Hauwa Eric, a mother of three based in Abuja, said the fear of her children being kidnapped at school dominates her family life. Living in the Mararaba axis, she has heard reports of schoolchildren being abducted and fears her own children could be at risk.

“I’m a parent first, before being a teacher. The worst thing that can happen is sending your kids to school and later hearing they have been kidnapped. It is terrifying. Even though I’m in Abuja, the fear never goes away,” she said.

Hauwa, who teaches in a private school, criticised her school for hastily accelerating the scheme of work to allow an early term closure due to insecurity. She said the school proprietor has refused to pay teachers their salaries.

Teachers in government schools have an advantage because their salaries continue to flow. But that isn’t the case with us,” she said.

“For the past week, I have not been myself. Our school rushed us to finish the scheme of work so students could leave early,” she added.

Another teacher in a private secondary school in Kaduna who gave her name only as Ms. Hajara  said the closures have disrupted teaching and created financial uncertainty.

“We are expected to continue lessons, but with schools closed indefinitely, there is no clarity on salaries or how to plan for the future. It’s stressful and demoralising,” the teacher said.

Another teacher from a Nasarawa state described the challenges of balancing safety with professional duties.

He said, “Every day we wonder whether it is safe to go to work or ask our students to attend. The uncertainty is unbearable. It’s hard to focus on teaching when the threat to life is constant,” the teacher who gave his name as Me. Anthony said.

Speaking in an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday , the president of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Comrade Audu Titus Amba, described the situation as dire.

“All pupils, students, and teachers are victims, as the profession only exists where students are present. Now that students are being taken away from schools, where is the future of the profession itself? Where is the future of the education system? And what about the young ones parents entrust to acquire knowledge in a safe environment, only to have some taken away at night?” he asked.

Amba urged the government to take decisive action to protect schools, teachers, and students.

“Government should stop these attacks. Teachers cannot be subjected to brutal killings while children’s education is endangered.

Without political will to address these threats, the future of education is at risk,” he said.

Students are also facing disrupted routines and heightened anxiety. The sudden loss of daily interaction with peers and mentors has left many feeling unsafe and uncertain about their future. Prolonged closures are particularly threatening for children in rural communities, where extended absence from school may derail education entirely.

Teachers in Abuja have raised concerns over the long-term impact of these disruptions on students’ interest in learning. Mr. Isaac Moji, a teacher at Olumuwa School, said:

“Many of these kids may begin to see school as unsafe and unimportant. They have invested time and energy in their studies, only to be constantly told to leave and stay home. It may discourage them from giving the necessary attention to their education. We risk a generation losing faith in the system. Children may become more vulnerable to other societal influences if schools remain closed or operate under constant threat.”

Adding a broader perspective, another educationist and mother of four children, Dr. Helen Adeyemi, warned that insecurity is likely to have lasting consequences on learning outcomes and social development.

She explained that , “When children are consistently kept away from classrooms, it not only affects academic performance but also erodes confidence, social skills, and discipline. Rebuilding trust in the education system will take time, resources, and coordinated efforts from government, communities, and educators.”

The insecurity-induced school closures have left a generation of Nigerian children caught between fear and the desire to learn. Parents grapple with impossible choices, teachers face uncertainty over their livelihoods, and students are deprived of both education and the stability that school provides.

While communities and NGOs strive to fill the gaps with informal learning and psychosocial support, experts warn that these stopgap measures cannot replace a fully functioning education system.

LEADERSHIP Sunday writes that as  Comrade Audu Titus Amba of the NUT and Dr. Helen Adeyemi, an educationist and mother, have noted, the crisis is not only a threat to individual schools but to the future of education and national development itself.

Without urgent government action, enhanced security, support for teachers, and credible plans to reopen schools, Nigeria risks a generation losing faith in learning and growing up under the shadow of fear.

Protecting schools must be treated as a national emergency.  For children like Aisha, whose dreams hang in the balance, the call is simple yet profound, “We just want our lives back.”