The Tutor-General and Permanent Secretary, Education District III, Barrister (Mrs.) Titilayo Solarin, has promised to ensure that immorality and other acts of indiscipline in schools become a thing of the past.
Mrs. Solarin, who was delivering her key note address on Friday, October 13, 2017 at a one day in-house workshop organized for school prefects and class captains from Eti-osa and Lagos Island, condemned immorality and indiscipline in all its forms. She also flayed parents’ brutality against teachers and urged them to become good role models to their children by behaving responsibly. Solarin described the school prefects and class captains as students’ representatives; hence, the purpose of the workshop. She urged them to pass whatever they have learnt at the workshop to their colleagues when they get back to their respective schools.
The Permanent Secretary, who identified the need to sensitize some unruly students and their parents, said, “In spite of this, we cannot hide from the numerous daily challenges faced by our School Administrators, which have necessitated the need to proffer solutions in diverse ways.” She stated that the prefects and the class captains, being the immediate link between the students and the school management, have serious roles to play in ensuring a smooth running school system with optimal performance level.
The Tutor-General revealed that Governor Ambode and his Deputy, Dr. (Mrs.) Adebule had uplifted all schools across the state by providing all the structures, facilities, remunerations and trainings needed. For this reason, she vowed that she would not allow anyone to jeopardize these efforts. She also promised to do everything within her power and responsibility to ensure that schools within her district were scandal-free and students’ performance at both internal and external examinations improve.
In her first lecture of the day entitled, “Enhancing Students’ Performance Level through Discipline, Effective Study Habits and Relevant Subject Selection,” Dr. (Mrs.) Kike Adedotun enlightened the students on how to be disciplined and responsible students in school and beyond. She counseled them to develop good attitude, academic self-sufficiency, self-control, motivation, discipline and determination if they wanted to be great achievers in future.
The University Don also advised the students to be certain about their future endeavours while choosing subjects of study. She equally urged parents to always examine their children’s academic works to know their abilities and identify the professions, which would be better for them. She did not forget to remind the students never to hesitate in meeting their school’s Guidance Counsellors on career, social and other issues that bother them.
During her lecture entitled, “The Roles of Prefects in Curbing Immorality and other Vices Prevalent in Schools,” the Principal, Epe Girls Junior High School, Mrs. Jonah Beatrice Olayinka, pointed out to all the school prefects and class captains that they were the watchdogs or intelligent officers, who should carry out adequate monitoring of all activities within the schools. In her view, frustration, ignorance, family background, peer influence, among other factors, were responsible for immorality in schools, which must be addressed.
Dr. Olayinka described cultism, hooliganism, rape, examination malpractices, etc., as vices students must avoid. She also told them to make use of suggestion boxes to pass across important information in their respective schools. She told them to show good leadership qualities, which other students should emulate.
The purpose of the workshop, according to the Coordinator of the workshop, Mr. Oyebisi Samuel Oluyemi, who is the Director of Education District III, was to put students in proper shape in terms of discipline and moral values. He observed that because of the close relationship between school prefects and class captains, the workshop would have much impact on all students as the message trickles down to them.
Some of the students, who spoke with Oriwu Sun, included Gaji Yasir from Dolphin Senior High School, Adeniji Adesoji from Victory Senior School and Eletu Lateefat from Kingodo Senior High School. They all commended the Coordinators of the workshop and promised to enlighten their classmates and others when they get back to their respective schools. They also joined their teachers to congratulate the District Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Solarin and Director, Administration and human resources, Mr. Karma Sanusi, whose birthday was on October 13, 2017.
Dignitaries that attended the occasion included, Alhaji (Prince) Shakirudeen Giwa; NUT Chairman, Lagos Island; Comrade Kab…… Adisa; Vice-Chairman, Parents’ Forum, Lagos Island, Mr. Aderogba Aderibigbe; representative from School Support, Mrs. Onakoya; Director from Schools Administration Department, Education District III, Mr. Dele Obasa; Director of Education, Education District III, Mr. Oyebisi Samuel Oluyemi, among others.
