As cases of abuses and bullying in secondary and tertiary institutions in the country continue to raise serious concerns among parents and members of the general public, the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, has promised that his ministry will work with the Ministry of Justice to develop a national policy to address bullying in schools nationwide.
The minister, who gave this hint on Wednesday during a media chat in Abuja, following the circulation of bullying incidents on social media, said that the Federal Ministry of Education has invited 125 unity college principals to discuss the Safe Schools Act and anti-bullying policies.
While noting that the Nigerian secondary school system is meant to be a place where students acquire not just academic knowledge but also values, discipline, and life skills, Alausa lamented that unfortunately, increasing cases of bullying, violence, cultism, substance abuse, and other vices are undermining the sanctity of our educational institutions.
He elaborated: “These issues have led to declining academic performance, mental health challenges, dropouts, erosion of moral values, among others.
“The Federal Ministry of Education will be working with the Attorney General’s Office to quickly come up with that policy, and we can take this to the National Council of Education (NCE). This will be for adoption as part of our process to address bullying and discipline in our societies”, the minister added.
According to him, the proposed policy which will include a comprehensive review of plans to tackle bullying will be released early next year, adding that it would
Alausa further clarified: “We’re going to do everything possible to ensure that our children get the highest quality of education, from basic to post-basic and tertiary education. As they get this education, we’re also inculcating discipline and ethical moral values in them.
“We’ve started employing new regional directors in each geopolitical zone to focus on maintaining discipline. When I say discipline, it’s not only students found culpable who will be disciplined. Any principal or teacher that tries to cover up acts of bullying will also be held accountable”, he added.
Speaking on the worrisome menace, the Solicitor-General of the Federation, Jeddy Agba, blamed bullying on poor accountability and weak monitoring in schools, and advised the ministry to actively work in ensuring compliance with the proposed policy.
The legal expert stressed that authorities in the various schools must ensure a zero-tolerance policy against bullying and create supportive and safe learning environments, and that here should also “be clear compliance mechanisms, regular inspections, and penalties for non-compliance.”
