MITIGATING SCHOOL-DROP-OUT-SYNDROME THROUGH INTEGRATING RECONCILIATORY INITIATIVES INTO EDUCATIONAL RECOVERY FOR SUSTAINING PEACE IN POST-BANDITRY BIRNIN GWARI COMMUNITY OF KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper explored how school drop-out syndrome can be mitigated by integrating reconciliatory initiatives into educational recovery for sustaining peace in post-banditry Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State. It examines how the recent reconciliatory initiatives in Birnin Gwari LGA and Kaduna State, which combine community-led dialogue, amnesty programs, and socio-economic rehabilitation, offer a fragile yet promising pathway to peace after years of banditry. It starts by examining the devastating impact of banditry on education in Birnin Gwari LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Through a qualitative analysis of secondary data, it explores how persistent insecurity has disrupted schooling, exacerbated dropout rates, and deepened socio-economic inequalities. The paper proceeds to explore how these peace-building efforts can be sustained, adapted, and replicated to revive education and prevent relapse into violence. Drawing parallels with global post-conflict recovery models, it argues that education itself must be both a beneficiary and a driver of sustainable peace. The paper concludes that banditry in Birnin Gwari reflects systemic issues of state fragility, resource competition, and ethnic strife; that, unlike ideological insurgencies, bandits exploit economic grievances, complicating counter-measures; that education crisis mirrors global patterns ( Sahel conflicts) but is intensified by local factors like illegal mining and weak law enforcement; thatgovernment responses, such as the Safe Schools Initiative, face challenges of corruption and underfunding and that Birnin Gwari’s tentative peace demonstrates that reconciliatory initiatives, when rooted in community agency and socio-educational investment, can reverse banditry’s harms. However, without systemic commitment to equity and justice, the paper believes that these gains risk erosion. By treating education as inseparable from peace-building, Nigeria can transform Birnin Gwari from a cautionary tale into a blueprint for conflict resolution. The paper recommends enhanced security, community engagement, leveraging technology, and national policy integration in order to turn the tide of school drop-out in society.