Parents, students sign undertaking on hooliganism in Ogun

Parents of students in public secondary schools in Ogun State have signed an undertaking that their children and wards would not engage in hooliganism.

The undertaking is one of the strategies adopted by the state government to arrest hooliganism and other unruly conduct among students.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abeokuta on Saturday that the development had ensured peace within and outside schools premises.

The commissioner stated that the government had redoubled its efforts at ensuring that hooliganism and thuggery were brought to an end in its schools.

He said that the government engaged stakeholders, including officials of the ministry, headteachers, principals, security agencies, teachers unions and parents, to address student misconduct.

Arigbabu added that the state government had set up counselling centres to care for students who misbehaved and needed attention and rehabilitation.

“Towards the end of First Term, last year, there were series of misbehaviours in these schools and situations where some parents went to schools to harass officials because their wards were disciplined.

“We started various stakeholders’ engagements with the ministry’s officials, zonal education officers, head teachers and principals of schools, teachers and teachers union; we also had engagement with security agencies.

“To cap it, we decided that parents must sign undertaking of good behaviour by their wards on their behalf as schools resumed for the Second Term,’’ he told NAN.

“The undertaking detailed that children would be of good behaviour, and parents would support the school in instilling discipline and would not come to school to disturb the peace.

“Warrants were also made to confirm that whoever came to sign for the students would be ready to submit erring ones or subject themselves to all forms of discipline in school.

“All these put together was capped with attendance target in which any learner that failed to come to school for at least 70 per cent of the term will not be allowed to write examination.

“All parents and students have signed the undertaking; it was 100 per cent compliance because they realised that anyone who failed to sign would not be allowed into the schools,’’ Arigbabu added.

The commissioner stressed that the measures put together had helped return sanity into Ogun State’s public schools.