Amidst the rise in variety of bullying instances throughout main and secondary colleges nationwide, the Federal Ministry of Training on Wednesday introduced plans to launch a platform the place whistleblowers can report instances of bullying anonymously.
The Minister of Training, Dr. Maruf Alausa, made this recognized throughout a press briefing in Abuja.
Alausa who expressed deep concern over the rising instances of bullying, violence, and different vices in secondary colleges throughout the nation emphasised the devastating influence of those points on college students’ tutorial efficiency, psychological well being, and ethical values.
The minister highlighted the alarming penalties of bullying and violence, together with declining tutorial efficiency, psychological well being challenges, dropouts, and erosion of ethical values.
Instances of bullying have been reported throughout a few of the nation’s unity and personal colleges in current occasions with a outstanding scholar, Sylvester Oromoni who was bullied in a Lagos-based personal faculty shedding his life.
In November 2024, 13 college students of the Federal Authorities Faculty, Enugu have been suspended for bullying one in every of their colleagues.
“To deal with these challenges, the Federal Ministry of Training has launched a number of initiatives, together with a Nationwide Marketing campaign Towards College Violence, which goals to coach college students, academics, and oldsters on the hazards of bullying and violence,” the minister famous.
Talking additional on the opposite measures to be launched by the federal government, the minister mentioned, “ We’re partnering with the Nigeria Police Power and different safety companies to curb cultism and different legal actions in colleges. A devoted helpline and on-line platform might be established to permit college students and oldsters to report instances of bullying and violence anonymously.”
Alausa known as on all stakeholders, together with dad and mom, academics, college students, and the media, to affix forces in making a secure and conducive studying setting. He urged dad and mom to watch their youngsters’s behaviour and psychological well-being, whereas academics and faculty authorities should create a secure and inclusive setting and act swiftly when instances of bullying or violence are reported.
The minister additionally inspired college students to say no to bullying, violence, and cultism, and to report any incidents to trusted adults. The media was tasked with supporting the federal government by elevating consciousness concerning the risks of those vices and the significance of ethical schooling.