Gunmen in Nigeria on Sunday freed 10 pupils abducted in the north-west state of Kaduna after collecting a ransom, a school official said.
The pupils were released on Sunday afternoon, nearly three months after they were seized by the gunmen in Kaduna, the Rev John Hayab told AP.
Their release comes about a week after 10 of their schoolmates were freed.
Eleven of the 121 pupils from the Bethel Baptist High School in Kaduna are still being held, Mr Hayab said, expressing frustration at the refusal of the gunmen to release all of the children at once.
“If we have the power, we would have brought them,” he said when asked why the gunmen held back 11 students.
“The bandits are the ones in control. We now have to play along softly and get our children back.”
Gunmen have abducted at least 1,400 schoolchildren in Nigeria in the past year, the UN children’s agency says.
“Our anger is not with the bandits as it is with the government, because we can’t have a government that is supposed to protect us and the bandits are having a field day," Mr Hayab said.
"There is no day they have ever released one child for free."
After increasing school attacks in the north-west and central parts of Nigeria, some governors have temporarily shut schools and communications in their states as they struggle to contain security challenges in Africa’s most populous country.
The first mass school abduction in Nigeria was carried out by the Boko Haram extremist group in 2014.
But the nation has had more than 10 other attacks on schools in the past year, which authorities have blamed on outnumbered security operatives in remote communities.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, who won power in 2015 on a wave of goodwill after promising to end the country’s security challenges, has come under growing pressure, especially over gunmen abducting schoolchildren and the Boko Haram extremists.
Security analysts have said the gunmen and the extremists may be working together.
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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