Safe Schools move in Nigeria attracts hefty funding

The Safe Schools Initiative in Nigeria has attracted significant funding since the abduction of more than 200 school girls by a militant organisation, the UN announced.

The Safe Schools Initiative has already gathered more than $23 million which will be used to ensure that schools, particularly in the north Nigeria, are protected from any kind of attack and also to take measures for the safety of girls and boys, Xinhua quoted UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying.

The announcement was made Wednesday by UN Secretary General's special envoy for global education, Gordon Brown.

"Brown will continue to work with the government to monitor the education situation and develop plans to ensure the 10.5 million out-of-school children have safe spaces to learn," Dujarric said.

"No child should be prevented from learning and no child should face the threat of abduction for wanting to go to school," said the spokesman.

Around 270 girls from Chibok community in northeastern Nigeria's Borno State were abducted mid-April. Islamist militant group Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the act in a video and threatened to sell the girls. The abduction has drawn international condemnation.

Over the past days, dozens of the abducted girls escaped, but more than 200 others are still being held captive.