From Victoria Jigah ,Abuja
Federal Government says a national policy to address issues of bullying in schools across the country will soon be developed.
The policy is aimed at instilling discipline and improving the education sector and society in general.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, stated this during a media briefing on the sidelines of an interactive session with Principals of Federal Unity Colleges across the country held in Abuja.
He said the policy document as a matter of emergency, will be presented to the National Council on Education between January and February 2025 for ratification, as bullying affects psychology, the emotional and mental well-being of victims leading to impairment as well as retardation of Academic capabilities of students.
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Dr. Tunji said policy initiative is coming on the heels of reported cases of bullying in some schools in the country.
He further said that the ministry and the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration have zero tolerance for indiscipline especially bullying in schools.
“We as a government have zero tolerance for bullying. The Ministry, in collaboration with the Attorney General’s office, is working on developing a comprehensive national policy on bullying, which will be presented to the National Council of Education for adoption,” he said.
He added that, there are various laws about handling issues of bullying in Nigeria such as VAP, Safe School Act and others but they are not harnessed into one like the planned national policy document.
Furthermore, the policy document will deal with Principals, teachers and parents who promote bullying or hide issues of bullying in schools.
He, however, said punitive measures will be the last resort as the ministry’s plan includes sensitization of parents, teachers, and students on ways not to encourage bullying as well as reconstitution of the School Base Management Committee, SBMC, in other to build a future for youths of the nation.
“Advocacy, education, counseling, mental awareness would all be part of this as well as deterrence as part of what we’re going to be coming up as a policy.
“We are working with sub-national governments to ensure a unified, national approach to tackling bullying and maintaining discipline in schools,” he said.
He said the meeting with the principals was an opportunity to engage with the school leaders and discuss key issues in education, especially in the areas of discipline, governance, and improving the quality of education in schools.
“We wanted to meet with the principals in person to talk about the importance of education and how they are responsible for educating children for the future. Education is what provides value, freedom, and a future for the children,” he said.
He said the ministry will continue to focus on skills acquisition as a priority for school leavers in the country to become employable as well as create wealth for themselves.
The Minister of State Education, Dr. Suwaiba Ahmad on her part said the ministry was committed to improving teachers’ welfare across the country, especially with the validation of the National Teachers policy.
Today they are validating that policy. Part of the provision of that policy is the issue of teacher welfare, which incentives, and salaries, are all captured as part of that policy.
This government has a passion for education, therefore, we’ll move towards ensuring that that policy is fully implemented, not only at the national level but also at the state level,” she added.
