Stakeholders want end to bullying, vices in schools

Stakeholders in the education sector have emphasised the need to end bullying and other vices in schools in the country, stressing that all hands must be on deck to overcome those challenges.

They made the call in Abuja, at a National Education Summit with the theme: ‘Building Qualitative, Inclusive and Adaptive Education System: Meeting Modern-Day Education Challenges in Nigeria,’ organised by Human Development Initiative (HDI).

In his remarks, the Executive Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, Wahab Alawiye, said the decline in family virtues had contributed to the menace of value system erosion in most schools.

Alawiye said if nothing was done to address the bullying and other social vices in schools by teachers and students, it could result in truancy and avoidance of schools by students.

“We are quite aware of the fact that our sector in the digital sector is under siege. Many of these schools are becoming theatres of violence and theatre of cruelty. Teachers killing pupils, pupils attacking teachers and students attacking other students are becoming the order of the day. It is unfortunate; we all have to do something about it.

“We all know it that we have a very critical issue at hand which is the family decline, the most important institution in our social life- the family is no longer there. We have female heading households, single parenting and irresponsible parenting which has contributed immensely to what is happening in our society,” he said.

“Yes, bullying is a menace we must all attack headlong in the sense that it will lead to school avoidance and truancy in most cases,” he said.

Olufunso Owasanoye, an executive director, HDI, said building inclusive and qualitative education was not only the business of government but a collective responsibility.

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“Education is not business as usual but the responsibility of everybody. In our own little corner, we have to look at the strategy and approach to move education from the level it is now to the next level.

“COVID-19 has changed so many things, so we need to change our value system. Education is beyond the four walls of the classroom and everybody must be involved,” she said.

Owasanoye commended the efforts of government, international organisations and stakeholders for reshaping education in Africa’s most populous nation.

She said, though Nigeria was not where it should be in the areas of education, the sector was progressing and all that was required was to rebuild the foundation of learning.