Education

Children’s Day: Aiyedatiwa Takes Step to End Bullying in Schools

By Web News 110

By Olufisoye Adenitan

Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has called on stakeholders in the education sector to speak out against the growing menace of bullying, which has become a serious concern in both public and private schools.

The governor made this appeal during a one-day strategic workshop in Ondo State to commemorate the 2025 International Children’s Day.

The event brought together a diverse group of education stakeholders, including teachers, school administrators, educationists, and policymakers.

 Held under the theme “Stand Up, Speak Up: Building a Bullying-Free Generation,” the workshop aimed to raise awareness and promote solutions to curb bullying in schools.

Delivering the governor’s address, the Chairman of the Ondo State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Victor Olabimtan, described the theme as timely and significant, noting the rising negative impact of bullying on children and young adults.

He stressed the importance of intensified awareness campaigns and the creation of safe, inclusive learning environments where children can grow without fear of intimidation or harassment.

Governor Aiyedatiwa also called for stronger collaboration between stakeholders and the state government to completely eradicate bullying in all its forms.

Meanwhile, the Government of Ondo State has unveiled a series of activities to commemorate the 2025 Children’s Day celebration.

Addressing journalists at a press briefing held at the Women Affairs Hall, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Women Affairs and Social Development, Dr Seun Osamaye, noted that the National Children’s Day is celebrated annually to honour, recognise, and identify with children across the state, particularly those in primary and secondary schools.

She explained that the purpose was to inform and sensitise children about the government’s efforts to improve their lives and to ensure continuous investment in child development and education across the state.

She revealed that several competitions would be held in different categories to identify outstanding students, who will represent their schools and local government areas. The aim, she said, is to encourage intellectual growth, a reading culture, and academic seriousness among students.

She added that the workshop, chaired by the SUBEB Chairman, would also feature the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, who would speak on the Child Rights Law.

According to her, the initiative is designed to ensure all stakeholders align with the outlined activities and take the message back to their respective schools and institutions, in preparation for the upcoming competitions.

Mrs Osamaye disclosed that on Tuesday, the State Children’s Parliament would visit the State House of Assembly to observe plenary proceedings and interact with the Speaker.

“The Ondo State Children’s Parliament, which has been moribund for over a decade, is being revived. Tomorrow, the children will be introduced to the Speaker and will observe plenary with the assistance of Safety Children International.”

She stated that the children would participate in a two-day orientation programme between Wednesday and Thursday, where they would be trained on their parliamentary roles and responsibilities.

On Friday, there will be a pre-rehearsal for the main event scheduled for next week on Tuesday.

According to her, activities for that day include a series of competitions such as a public speaking competition based on the theme of the celebration, and it will involve 18 selected schools, each represented by its best speaker. A total of 2,500 children from 100 schools across the state are expected to attend.

She further revealed that there will be a march-past and each school would also present a cultural display to showcase the unique heritage of their locality.

Dr. Osamaye announced that the winners of the competitions would be rewarded with cash prizes. The first-place winner will receive a grand prize of ₦500,000; the second-place winner, ₦200,000; and the third-place winner, ₦100,000.

“These prizes and trophies are meant to promote unity, love, and active engagement among our students“, she concluded.

Subscribe to our Telegram and YouTube Channels, and also join our WhatsApp Update Group.

Feature News Analysis

Bullying of Students Living in Boarding Schools

By Web News 1532

Schools have always been recognized as institutions for transfer of knowledge and culture to future generation. 

It is a dynamic human system dedicated to the nurturing of mutual growth and understanding between children and adults.

The school is also expected to be a place where students should feel safe and secure and where they can count on being treated with respect and care.

There are day and boarding schools and the major purpose of boarding was for communal coexistence among students from different background and culture.

Some scholars believe that boarding school is essential for the overall development and growth of a child and the most critical aspect of boarding schools are the networking opportunities it renders.

The students learn the importance of tolerance and respect for different views and perspective through the bonds they develop in such a close-knit educational setting. 

The reality, however, seems to be that only few students or pupils can harmoniously blend with their school mates without experiencing violence in their various learning environments. 

The extreme cases of bullying in Nigerian boarding schools have gone on for decades and it is seen as a lifestyle that students are expected to adapt to.

Bullying in Nigerian boarding schools seems to be an acceptable culture which unfortunately might have sent some students to their early graves while some sustained a life time injury both physically and mentally. 

While hearing some of the stories of bullying, such like sexual molestation, gang rape, exploitation and torture of students in Nigerian boarding schools bring to memories the pictures of traumatic scenes and horror movies which are cringe worthy.

For example, some months back, a mother, Mrs. Deborah Okezie posted a video on social media, where she cried out that her eleven year old son, a student of a private school in Uyo, Akwa -Ibom state, was sexually molested by his seniors.

Last week, a video went viral in Benin City, Edo state, where some students were seen brutalizing and humiliating their classmates where one of them was stripped naked.

The development has led the state government to suspend the principal, housemaster and all the students involved in the abusive behaviour while they have also been handed over to the ministry of justice for investigation and prosecution in accordance with the child rights law.

  The question is, will this erase the trauma of the harassed student?

Stealing of boarder’s food stuff, beverages, cash, clothing and other personal belongings by seniors have traumatized the juniors who are helpless.

The consequences of bullying could be far reaching ranging from low self esteem to increased violence and juvenile crime within the school environments. 

The act of bullying at the end not only does more harm to the intended victims and the perpetrators, but may affect morale of teachers and indirectly, the capacity of all students to learn to the best of their ability.

To reduce the incidence of bullying and prevent its occurrence, individual, groups and systematic interventions need to be implemented in schools and it must include students, teachers, administrators, parents and host community.

There should be an established and strictly followed zero tolerance to bullying in schools.

Guardians and councilors should administer surveys to determine the extent of the problem in schools.

It is essential also that surveillance camera should be mounted in strategic places in schools for proper monitoring of daily activities of students by schools authorities. 

Above all, ministries of education should come up with a strong and firm disciplinary measure for violators to serve as deterrent for others to reduce the spate of bullying in boarding schools. 

Rasheedat Makinde