Climate-linked school hazards: Katsina children raise alarm
By: Abudu Olalekan
That Sunday morning, April 19, 2026, brought something unusual to Mashi Local Government Area in Katsina State. A bunch of kids from the Child Rights Advocacy Club showed up at the council chairman’s office – also stopping by the district head’s residence. Their goal? Simple: adults needed to start paying attention. They weren’t asking nicely anymore; it was time for change. Grown-ups usually talk over them, so this march felt different. Voices rose where silence once sat. Faces watched, surprised, as small bodies stood firm. Something shifted that day – not loudly, but clearly.
Out of nowhere, these young voices showed up – not with polished words, but with truth. Backed by Save the Children International and the Education Cannot Yet initiative, they carried more than statements – they brought lived moments, raw worries, fear worn plainly on their sleeves. What echoed behind each pause was clear, quiet, strong: classrooms meant for learning now hold risk instead.
Truth is, they aren’t overstating it.
Each morning brings more strain as shifting weather patterns meet careless routines outside schools. Water pools where children play when storms pass through. Sun beats down so hard learning feels impossible inside brick rooms. Restrooms reek of neglect most days. Gutters jammed with debris overflow without warning. Garbage stacks grow while adults shrug it off. Not exactly what childhood should look like, is it?
Out loud for the ones who aren’t, kids explained they carried stories that echoed beyond just themselves – stories muffled by quiet in towns like theirs. Quiet held weight, they insisted, when so many lived it.
A’isha Mutaka stepped forward early, voice clear among the quiet. When disasters strike, her concern turns to school taps running safe water. Floods wash roads away – still kids need drinking water they can trust. Her words carry weight: health begins where water does not make you sick
Some pleaded for toilets that were kept clean and working, with places to wash hands; if these existed, people might stop going outside and sickness could slow. Then again, without proper sanitation, illness spreads fast – so having hygienic options mattered deeply to them.
Halimatu Yusuf stepped forward next. With quiet urgency, she spoke about needing better ways to handle trash. Officials should repair broken drains, she said, because clogged channels make floods spread faster. Water rises where kids learn – schools sit directly in flood paths when rivers back up.
Trees weighed heavily on Salamatu Mohammed’s mind. Not just any issue – this one burned bright. Campaigns to plant more of them? Needed now, she said. Stronger moves to stop forests being torn down? Just as urgent. Schools ought to be shaded havens, not heat traps. Cool grounds mean safer kids when storms hit or skies blaze. Protection comes in leaves, in roots, in soil kept whole.
Still pushing forward, Abdulhamid Surajo insisted on tighter school safety – not just fences but watchmen too. Protection of buildings came up, along with keeping livestock out of playgrounds. Gardens at schools could grow, giving kids hands-on lessons while surroundings feel looked after.
From the list, a few stood out because of how much they lost. One was Government Pilot Secondary School Majigiri. Then came Afadu Primary School, hit hard too. Doguru took damage across both its primary and secondary levels.
Not long after they spoke, the head of the Mashi Council – Salisu Kallah, standing in through his deputy Jamilu Yusuf – made a firm reply. Rules against chopping down trees without permission? Those will be looked at again, he said. School grounds, too, won’t stay as they are; changes are coming to support better lessons.
Ahead of the curve, the District Head of Mashi, Kabir Aminu – known locally as Iyan Katsina – took stronger measures. Instead of waiting, he pushed for student-run green groups alongside neighborhood-driven projects, aiming to slow down land damage while building lasting care for nature.
Long before walking out, kids acted out scenes, painted signs, expressing fears over unfair treatment based on gender – not because climate fades, but because justice matters just as much. Safety. School. Being heard. All tied up in what they carried with them.